My Abominable Monster Classmates Can't Be This Cute
by Mallobaude
Summary: Jaune had always wanted to go to a school to learn to battle the creatures of Grimm. But as a boy with no huntsmen training, no huntsmen knowledge, and no huntsmen transcripts, he had absolutely no chance of getting into a school like that legally. After scouring the darkest corners of the CCTNet, he finally found a lead. A place called Grimm Academy. Cover art by Seshirukun.
1. Chapter 1

The lurching and shaking of the Bullhead shook more than just his body. His stomach boiled and churned, and its contents threatened to erupt from his mouth like a volcano. But it would be worth it. This would all be worth it.

Jaune Arc was a boy with a dream. That dream was to become a huntsman. A hero just like his ancestors, going back all the way to the Great War. While it was fortunate that he lived in a time of peace where there hadn't been a destructive conflict in decades, it also left very few options in becoming the hero he desired. However, one constant threat that existed in the world were the creatures of Grimm. Violent and destructive, those mindless creatures were the bane of humanity's existence, and had threatened his species with extinction since the very dawn of civilization.

Luckily for humanity though, the huntsmen existed. The academies existed. Protectors of life and slayers of Grimm, they were the thin line of light which held back the darkness.

And soon Jaune would be among them.

The blond boy shuffled in his seat, leaning over to speak to the pilot. "I can't thank you enough for the ride," he told the man.

There was no response. As usual.

Jaune wondered if he was upset. The boy was but a single passenger on the ship, and that certainly had to be annoying for a pilot to have to make a trip for a single person. However without the ride, Jaune would have had no way of getting to the academy. There wasn't even an address he could see when he had located information on it.

He decided to try and loosen the pilot's tongue with his gratitude. "But it really means a lot to me. You have no idea how important going to this school is."

Again, nothing. Jaune frowned. Maybe he was a hindrance to the man.

But it wasn't his fault. Due to the fact that he was not actually qualified to attend a huntsmen academy, he had decided that a prestigious school like Beacon or Atlas Academy would be a little too high profile for him. He would be found out in an instant to be a fraud. That he had falsified his transcripts. However that didn't mean he was about to give up.

After scouring the CCTNet for information on huntsmen academies, one in particular had stood out. One that existed only on conspiracy theory message boards, spoken of as if it didn't exist at all. Grimm Academy, as it was known, was very difficult to find information on. So Jaune had paid known criminals and informants for all they could find out about the school. Eventually he had received a message, asking him to send his transcripts. He had done so, and to his surprise, had been accepted.

Fast forward a few weeks and here he sat, alone in a Bullhead except for the one who was flying it.

Perhaps a little humor would help lighten the mood. Making the pilot chuckle could clear the air between them. "So, the strong and silent type, huh?" he said casually. "Yeah, I can relate."

Silence. For some reason Jaune had gotten his hopes up that this time would be different. Perhaps he should just accept the fact that the man wasn't the type to want to talk. Or merely didn't wish to speak to Jaune in particular.

"Can you?" the surprisingly deep voice asked.

Success! The man had spoken. Jaune had won!

Still though, what had the man meant by that? "What?"

"Can you relate?"

So he was taking it literally? Sure, Jaune could work with that. "Uh... well. I'm strong, I guess."

At just a little bit over six feet tall and a little bit of muscle on his frame, Jaune was stronger than most boys his age. He had spent the past few months training with his family's ancestral sword and shield in preparation for attending a huntsman academy. He didn't feel it was a lie to claim that he was indeed strong.

He was still nothing in comparison to the pilot, however. The large, hairy, bear-like man was a walking wall of muscle. He probably could have made a good huntsman himself if he had decided on that career choice rather than becoming a pilot.

Not wanting to sit in the suffocating silence, Jaune spoke up again.

"One time, we were raising a barn, and I took the full counter weight for the rope while my family worked on the other side."

The man grunted, though Jaune couldn't tell if it was in approval or not.

"But my hands were sweaty and I let the rope slip, then after that-"

"Good."

Jaune stopped, blinking.

"Now how about you practice the silent part until you get it right."

The words stung. He had received the message loud and clear. "Oh. Yeah, sure. Sorry." He winced, knowing that he had just failed his first attempt at granting the man's request. "Sorry again. I'll shut up now."

A guttural growl was the only response he received. This new adventure of his was off to such a great start.

With nothing else to do, Jaune turned his head and gazed out the window. What he saw shocked him.

When had it become night? Grabbing his scroll from his pocket, he checked the time to reveal that it was still mid-afternoon. How many time zones had they crossed? Where in the world were they?

And why was the sky a swirling mixture of purple and red?

These were all questions which slipped the boy's mind as the Bullhead began its descent. He had arrived! After a long and tumultuous flight with a less than friendly pilot, he had finally arrived at the school of his dreams! His huntsmen training would begin right here and now!

Disembarking from the ship, Jaune felt tempted to kiss the solid ground after another terrible bout with motion sickness. However he didn't want to make a bad first impression on any of his peers who may have been around and watching. No, he had to be strong. Brave. Confident. Just like a huntsman was expected to be.

Shouldering the duffle bag of clothes and personal effects, he set out toward the tall dark tower that pierced the unnaturally bleak clouds that hung above it. That had to be the school. That would be where he would find out everything he needed to know about his new life.

* * *

Everything seemed... off.

Jaune may not have been the brightest bulb in the room, but even he could see that things were wrong. Horribly, terribly wrong. The first clue had been the sky. While not quite night, it was not day either. It was some new, twisted, and colorful twilight which made him feel as though he had been transported to another world. An odd, childish quirk wanted to check and see if he had gained a status bar, or some other ridiculous thing. No such luck.

Just how long had that flight been?

The off-color sky was just the start, however. There was desolation all around him. Rather than trees and bushes, jagged rocks shot up from the ground like gigantic daggers. Pools of black liquid stood stagnant on the ground like puddles after a heavy downpour. Nature itself abhorred this place, retreating until there was no sign of life from horizon to horizon. Only Jaune stood out as a beacon of light in the darkness. Just as a huntsman should.

The idea gave him confidence as he squeezed his hands into fists. Now was not the time to be getting cold feet. Now was not the time to lose hope. He wanted to be a huntsman. Now was the time to prove it.

His boots thudded on the ground at a quick pace as he neared the school. The thin, needle-like tower was a tall and imposing structure. Made of hard black rock which shone like obsidian, its unseen tip was shaped like a vicious and jagged blade which stabbed into the sky. It was an intimidating sight to be certain, likely designed to scare off those who would be unworthy of pursuing the career of a huntsman. Jaune would not be found wanting in this trial.

As he neared the building's base, a new color appeared out of the corner of his eye. In the mix of red, purple and black, a bright and brilliant white caught his attention. There, sitting on a bench outside of the school, sat a lone girl.

She almost did blend in to her surroundings, clad in a black dress which was tattered in its hem, and equally torn up black stockings. A brilliant red cape hung from her shoulders, and she wrapped it around her arms as she sat hunched over in her seat.

But it was her skin, which at first glance looked pure white. Bleached, bone white. Yet, shaking his head, he discounted that. Must have been a trick of the light. Yet she was extremely pale, that much stood out to Jaune. That and the pair of horns that jutted from her forehead through her red-black hair. He had never seen a girl quite like her. Then again he had never been outside of his home town too often, much less his home kingdom.

Sadness radiated from the mystery girl as he neared the school. He didn't know who she was or why she was out here, but he could tell that something was wrong. Remembering all of the lessons he had been taught as a child, Jaune diverted his path and made his way to the girl on the bench.

The sounds of his footsteps earned her attention as he neared, and she lifted her head to reveal a pair of crimson eyes. The full extent of her physical characteristics became apparent to the boy, as did the sheer length of her horns. The right one must have been a foot long, the left being a few inches shorter. It was obvious to the boy that she wasn't exactly human, but rather some kind of faunus. By the looks of it, an albino faunus.

Perhaps that was why she sat outside alone. Faunus racism was still a very real problem in some parts of Remnant. While he had never been exposed to it too much himself, he knew it was out there. The idea of this girl being ostracized by her peers because of her appearance made him sick. He was determined to help her out in any way he could.

Their eyes were locked as he neared, and as soon as he had closed to speaking distance he introduced himself. "Hey," he greeted. "My name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

He gave himself a mental pat on the back. He had nailed it. Not a single stumble over his own tongue like he had done so many times while practicing that line in the mirror.

The girl before him looked up in awe. It hadn't been his intention to impress her _that_ thoroughly, but if he had then he would take it. "Whoa... you look so cool..."

Jaune looked down at his usual attire. Blue jeans, a black Pumpkin Pete hoodie, and a white breastplate weren't too out of the ordinary. In fact he would consider them pretty normal. Far more normal than her own ripped and tattered clothing.

He briefly wondered if some of her fellow students had destroyed her clothes. The idea of someone being physically bullied because they were a faunus sickened him.

In any case, he wasn't about to brush off the girl's compliment. "Oh, thanks," he answered modestly. "You look pretty cool yourself. The colors go really well together."

He hoped that complimenting her own appearance and not making an issue of her being a faunus would give her a morale boost. What kind of Faunus was she anyways? Gazelle? Idly Jaune wondered if she'd like some alfalfa to eat. Would it be racist to ask? Wait, did Gazelle even eat alfalfa? He'd have to ask his mom next time he got the chance.

The girl hopped up off the bench and stood before him, jarring him out of his pondering. While her head only came up to his chest, the tip of her longest horn came up to his own forehead.

"It's just so... so... perfect! You look amazing! How do you do it? Is it easy? Tell me tell me tell me!"

The conversation had taken a bit of an awkward turn. Maybe the fact that she was a possible gazelle faunus wasn't the reason she was sitting outside by herself.

Moving his face away from suddenly bouncing horns, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh... well I woke up this morning. I took a shower. And now here I am. Just like any other day."

"It really is that easy for you..." she said softly. She spoke about his appearance in amazement. She was mesmerized.

He had to admit that it was getting a little bit creepy. Her head suddenly perked up, and those red eyes gazed into his once more. They threw him, because for a moment he could have sworn they were glowing...

"Why did you come over here? Aren't you repulsed by me?"

The question caught him off-guard, and he knew that she was asking about her appearance. Being a faunus had to be hard. Having such prominent horns had to be worse. Being an albino on top of that had to be horrible. To look like her in a school full of humans who looked like him had to be difficult beyond his imagining. How could he think she had glowing red eyes? Was he no better than those bullies?

No, Jaune was not one to judge a book by its cover. He would not judge her because of her appearance. She was a perfectly lovely girl, a totally normal and nice young lady. If she was in need of a friend, then she would get one. "Of course not," he said comfortingly. "There's nothing wrong with you. You looked kinda lonely, and my mom always said that strangers were just friends you haven't met yet. So I decided to come over and see if this stranger wanted to be my friend."

"Really?"

He could tell that his gesture had really made her day. He smiled as he nodded softly. "Really. By the way, I didn't catch your name."

"Oh. Right. My name's Ruby."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Ruby," he said as he extended his hand.

The girl looked down at it for a moment, before glancing back up at him and blinked.

He didn't know if she had any hang-ups about shaking hands, or if maybe people normally didn't offer their hands to a faunus like her. However he wanted her to know that he was perfectly fine with it. "It's okay," he told her reassuringly. "You can take it."

Ruby blinked once more before a metal covered hand extended and grabbed his. She didn't so much shake it as she squeezed, the sheer force of her grip making him think that his fingers were about to shatter into a million pieces. His eyes squeezed shut and a gasp of pain shot from his mouth. She was strong. Incredibly so. But then again he expected no less from an aspiring huntress at this academy.

 _Don't be judgmental,_ his mind ordered. _She probably gets enough of that already. Just shake her hand like it's perfectly normal..._

"You're strange," she commented as she released her grip on his hand. His fingers throbbed red as he looked down on them to inspect any damage that might have been done. "We don't usually let others grab our appendages like that. Every time I've tried to hug someone, I kept hearing the same thing. You're just asking for someone to chop it off, is what Yang keeps telling me. Yet you did with me..."

Chop it off? Jaune had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Yet she had been the one to call him strange? "What?"

"It's not normal to put yourself in such a compromising position," she continued. "Vulnerability and weakness are punishable by death. Only the strong survive here."

Jaune really hoped that she was just exaggerating. Or that the punishment of death was alluding to the fact that the weak would die in the field against the creatures of Grimm. Surely there was no way a huntsman academy could be so literally ruthless, right?

The only possible thing he could think of was that Grimm Academy, and perhaps every other huntsman academy in the world, was a hyper-competitive and cutthroat environment where people would do anything to be the best. Maybe there wasn't room for friendship in a place like this. Maybe it was even frowned upon. It could offer another explanation as to why Ruby seemed so sad and lonely. Maybe she was a bubbly and affectionate girl who wasn't used to being shot down by her peers.

He didn't care what the rules or expectations in this place were. He had set out to make this girl his friend, and an Arc never went back on their word. "Well you know what, Ruby?" he asked. "Maybe I'm okay with that. Because even though we just met, I trust that you wouldn't use it against me. Right?"

Ruby nodded her head emphatically and he had to again take a step back to ensure that he would not be struck by her horns. "Of course!" she insisted. "I can't believe it. You actually want to be my friend. My first friend!"

The words warmed Jaune's heart. He had truly made this girl's day. Whatever the reason was, she had been feeling down. He had been the one to cheer her up. There was no greater feeling in the world than helping another person in need.

"Well I'm honored I could be the first," he smiled. "I know that kids can be cruel, but I'll stick by your side no matter what."

She smiled in return, a lovely expression that brought out her best features. Her head nodding slowed this time before a serious expression crossed it again. "Yeah... kids being cruel is kinda in the school rules here."

Jaune blinked. "What?"

"Survival of the fittest and all that," she explained. "It's the way of the world."

He nodded. He understood... sort of. Huntsmen were expected to be the best of the best. It was only natural that the strongest would survive. Only the strongest would be worthy to stand up to the creatures of Grimm.

"But who cares about that right now," she squealed with excitement. "Come on, I wanna introduce you to my sister! I wanna show her that I made a friend!"

Ruby grabbed his hand again and like before it felt as though she was going to crush it in her surprisingly strong, small hands. It felt like his shoulder was going to be ripped from its socket the moment she began pulling him toward the school's entrance. Briefly, he spied her arm. It was strangely black but he couldn't get a clear look at it in the mad rush. Probably just a sleeve. He couldn't get over how strong this girl was. How had someone like her ever been bullied before?

* * *

Jaune hadn't known what to expect when Ruby dragged him through the front doors of the school. With only having ever seen pictures and videos of huntsmen in the media, he knew that there were endless possibilities when it came to looks, weapons and attire. For a brief moment he wondered if his hand-me-down sword and shield would be able to stand up to the bizarre collection of weapons he would likely find inside.

The door opened, unleashing a musty, iron scented breeze that threatened to roll his stomach once more. Iron, thick like drying blood, permeated the the air, joining the atmosphere of the grand hall. Purple candles burning black flame shed impossible light across blackened stone and wrought steel. Within, teeming masses filled the space, starkly lit. Each stood some feet away from one another, with a notable exception Jaune jerked his sight from.

All had ghostly, bone white skin, but how they wore it seemed to vary. Some were perfectly normal looking, lithe even, except for the odd peculiarity of skin and outfit. One such person, with fair white hair, stood off on her own. Others, others were twisted mockeries of man and woman alike, Jaune taking in the masked visage of what appeared to be a cat faunus, staring at another member of the cavalcade of creatures. She would have been perfectly lovely, odd mask and black veins running across exposed, slender legs aside, if not for her arms. Or rather, the smooth, dripping tendrils where arms should have been. They each ended in red blades, snapping back and forth at one another creating small sparks in the darkness.

Another did not possess strange limbs, but instead was hideously proportioned. A man with over muscular arms and overly broad shoulders, balanced on an otherwise normal human frame. At least, normal if not for what appeared to be metal plates fused to white flesh, scarring his body from top to bottom. Yet worst of all was the figure in the center of the room. Any other time, any other boy Jaune's age might have been taken by her figure.

Her outfit was revealing, her body considered perfect by many his age. Long, powerful legs, a taunt, muscular stomach revealed explicitly by a mesh within her cowgirl style attire. Her bust was pointedly emphasized, even more than her stomach, as she not only proudly bared them with only a low cut top to conceal them, but also to lift them. Coupled with long, luxurious pale blonde hair, though this did not appeal to Jaune he could admit where many would be interested. Yet his attention, and he hoped the attention of any other like him, was drawn not to her figure but her arms.

One arm was covered, almost wrapped, in steel and iron. Red chains hung loose, a twisted nightmare of a shotgun held firmly in a metal encased hand. This was, itself, not too big of a deal. Her other arm, however, was another story. To say it was an arm would be disingenuous, as it was its own living organism. A twisting, living mass of pitch black muscle, individual strands of oil-stained meat twitching and flexing individually. Masses of white bone tore up irregularly across the limb, which was easily the size of her entire body. It looked to Jaune as if an entire Grimm had been grafted onto the girl's body.

This limb only revealed itself to be such due to ending in what he supposed could be mistaken as a hand. Just as overly built and nightmarishly intricate working of bone and meat as the rest of the limb, this hand held the near pulverized remains of another creature once like her. Blood cooling and turning a blackened shade dripped from what was left of the poor student, shards of metal futilely stabbing into the clawed hand. Not in any attempt of attack, just due to how totally it had been smashed. The ground revealed the impact of what had no doubt been this blonde horror slamming the poor possible boy into it, repeatedly.

"Yang!" Ruby called excitedly into the crowd.

The blonde's head turned to regard the girl who had just called out the name. The blonde was Yang. She was Ruby's sister.

Jaune's breath hitched in his throat. Fear gnawed in the pit of his stomach. That thing was Ruby's sister.

"Come on," the girl at his side insisted as she tugged on his sleeve. "Let me introduce you to my sister!"

He took a step back for a moment, taking in the young girl before him. Her skin really did have a similar bleached, skeletal hue. Her eyes, that he had only thought to be red, were worse. They glowed red, burned it, with pitch black coals taking the place where white should have been. Black veins revealed themselves along her pristine skin, twisting down her one white arm. The other arm, now exposed fully, wasn't possible. No muscle, no skin, just raw blackened bone, coated in the oily substance that her supposed sister's limb had. He could see right through the arm in question, yet it moved without issue. Looking back up, he saw the bright smile that was on her face.

Jaune was too numb to refuse. Too frightened to say no. Too weak to resist as she pulled him behind her. As she did he gazed out into the crowd, only to realize that the crowd was looking back. Their eyes all glowed a brilliant blood-red. All staring intently at him.

This was wrong. So very wrong. He didn't know what this place was, but he knew that it wasn't a school for huntsmen. Huntsmen were not monsters. Huntsmen did not possess horrible tentacles and oversized arms. Huntsmen did not have horns and holes in their limbs. What were these things? And why had the large man brought him here if he knew what kind of a place this was?

As they neared Yang, Jaune heard faint whispers of the creatures as he passed them. To his surprise, they were not speaking about him.

"She's such a freak," one murmured.

"Why's she so positive all the time?" another commented.

Pain shot through his hand as Ruby clamped down on it tighter than before. And suddenly it made sense. They were talking about her. This was why she had been alone outside.

He didn't have a chance to contemplate this further before he was face to face with Ruby's sister.

Much like Ruby, Yang had a pair of horns that poked through her pale golden locks, even longer than her sister's. She was clearly older, if they truly were sisters, not just due to physical stature but also her face. She looked maybe to be as old as he was, with strong, beautiful features. Features marred by a series of holes across one side of her face, holes that revealed the inner workings of her mouth when the light hit it just so.

"Yang, this is Jaune," the redheaded girl introduced. "Look at him! Look how perfect his disguise is!"

Tossing aside the poor thing that had only moments ago been wrapped in her muscular black hand, Jaune had half-expected Yang to offer her monster claw to him to shake.

How he wished that was the case.

"I'm Yang, let's fight!" the blonde grinned as both her hands balled into fists. Almost to emphasize her words, the wet slap of broken bones and meat that had been the other student could be heard hitting the far wall. She dove straight for him, and Jaune saw his life flash before his eyes as bright crimson orbs gazed wildly into his own. Jaune tried to step away, to claim that this was a mistake, when his foot found some spilt blood from her earlier victim.

Falling at just the right time, Jaune completely avoided the first swing of her massive limb. This left him a heap on the ground, Jaune's eyes widening as the blonde moved with supernatural speed. Yang swung her arm back, several other students leaping out of the way, preparing to crush Jaune against the ground.

Jaune's eyes squeezed shut, expecting to meet his end at the hands, and horns, of the monster before him. The impact never came, however. Pain and death never came either. Instead it was the clash of bodies which filled his ears and forced his eyes open.

Ruby had placed herself in front of him, her arms grappling with Yang's in what could only be called a losing battle. No force on Remnant would be able to go one on one with the blonde's oversized arm and come out on top. The same was true with Ruby, who he could see was slowly losing ground to her sister.

"Are you fighting me for this runt?" Yang asked. A bemused smirk curled on her lips as she stared down at her.

"Don't hurt him!" Ruby snarled through gritted teeth. She swiped at Yang's horns with her own, and to his surprise, the larger girl backed off.

The smirk erupted into a full toothy grin, and Yang took a step back from her sister. "Look at you, finally showing some backbone. Haven't seen you this fired up since you saved that dog from Cardin. Fine, he lives."

He lives. The words forced Jaune to release a breath he hadn't known he had been holding in. Yang would have killed him if it wasn't for Ruby's timely intervention. The realization of this fact sent shivers down his spine.

Yang's focus turned to him in an instant. Going very still, Jaune watched in quiet terror as her hand enclosed around him, picking him up. Thankfully the grip was not as tight as it could have been, and she placed him back on his feet.

"Nothing personal, I just wanted to see how strong you are. It's not every day that Ruby comes to me showing off a new friend. Or any friend period," she shrugged.

He didn't know how to respond to that. So he just nodded. "Oh. Right."

"So this is your human form?" the girl continued. "Gotta admit, it looks perfect. You must be really strong if you can pull it off this well."

"Yeah, he told me it doesn't even take any effort," Ruby gushed. "He just wakes up and does it. Isn't that cool?"

Yang nodded. "For sure. I can't wait to get into the training room with you. I wanna see how tough you really are. And what your Grimm form looks like."

Grimm form? What was she...

Jaune's eyes went wide.

Yang's body was black and white, and she had red eyes. The same went for Ruby. The same went for every other student in this school he had unfortunately seen so far.

Human form. Grimm form. The horns. The monstrous appendages. These things... these things weren't human. They were nothing like he had ever seen before, but one thing was for certain. They were Grimm.

Jaune Arc had just stepped into a school filled with humanoid Grimm. A human among monsters.

His heart pounded in his chest. Fear coursed through his veins. His head felt light and dizzy. He was going to pass out right here and now, and being surrounded by these things, he would probably never wake up.

He jumped when he felt a hand on his arm. It was Ruby. "Hey... you suddenly smell really good. Is that weird to say?"

Yes. Yes it was weird. But the last thing he wanted to do right now was poke a nest of rapier wasps. "Uh... no. Not at all."

Ruby smiled up at him. "Good. I don't want to freak you out or anything. But it's just... I dunno."

She needn't worry about that. He was already freaked out enough. A few words wouldn't affect him.

"She's right," Yang agreed. "There's something about you right now that's just really attractive. I can't quite put my finger on it though."

Jaune hoped with all of his heart that Yang would indeed not put any of her large talon-like fingers on him right now.

"Uh... maybe it was the deodorant I put on this morning?"

Ruby blinked a couple times. "Deodorant?"

Before he could comment, however, the temperature of the room seemed to drop twenty degrees. A sense of foreboding and doom filled his entire being, and his head was instinctively drawn over to a stage which sat on the opposite side of the room.

A tall woman garbed in a flowing black dress had ascended the steps, followed at a distance by a trio of what were clearly human beings. She, like every other living being here, had white skin and red eyes. Far more pronounced black veins covered her arms and face like the twisting and gnarled branches of a dead tree.

The woman was dread incarnate. Yang's arm and Ruby's horns had nothing on the feelings he was experiencing right now just gazing upon this woman.

"I'll be brief," the woman began, her voice calm yet authoritative. "As I stand here and gaze out upon you all, I see boundless potential. You, my children, will change the world."

Children. Jaune had no idea if she meant that literally or not. Surely these few dozen monstrosities could not all be her children, right?

"You are the next stage in a world of bloody evolution," she continued. "The perfect union of humanity and Grimm. However, you are not truly perfect yet. Before you are able to go forth and conquer the kingdoms of men, you must first learn to harness your humanity. To learn what it is to be human, and to be able to live amongst them so that you may influence them. That is why you are here. That is what you will learn in this academy."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. What kind of twisted world domination plot had he walked in on? He had to escape. Not only to save his own life, but to warn those in the outside world.

"Classes will begin tomorrow. Not all of you will live to see graduation. Only the strong will survive. Only those who are able to fully harness all of their powers and abilities will live to see my plans come to fruition. Therefore you must all be the very best you can be. You must prove that you are capable of living up to the tasks you were created for."

The woman turned and seemingly glided off the stage. As quickly as she had come, she left again.

There was no applause. No roar of approval. Only silence. Only once the mysterious lady lad left the room did the chatter start up once more.

Jaune's mouth was dry. He had to talk to one of the humans. To tell them this was all a mistake. That he didn't belong here.

He felt a tug on his sleeve, and turned to once more see exited red eyes staring up at him. "This is going to be so cool!" she smiled. Such a bright, sweet smile. "I can't believe my first friend is the strongest guy in the school!"

He blinked. How did she think he was the strongest person in the school? Or strong period? It would probably be best to dispel that rumor immediately. "Uh... nah I think you're overestimating me a little too much..."

"Oh I know!" she continued, ignoring his protests. "You should be my roommate!"

"Roommate?" Only then did Jaune realize that he still had absolutely zero clue about how this school worked. About where he would be staying. About what kind of classes he would be attending.

Then again, if he had it his way he would be leaving very soon...

"Yeah. I didn't have a roommate before because no one else could stand being around me..." she said sadly. Those glowing red eyes of hers shifted and gazed up hopefully at him. "But now that you're here, there's finally someone who likes me. You and me could totally bunk together."

Jaune reached over and removed Ruby's hand from his shirt as delicately as possible. "Hold that thought." His attention turned to where one of the humans who had accompanied the mystery woman stood overlooking the students. "I actually have to talk to that guy over there. I'll be right back..."

His legs had never carried him faster than they were right now as he approached the seemingly normal looking man. Clad in a white vest and pants, and tall black boots, he was Jaune's best bet to explain this whole mix-up and get a ride back home.

"Excuse me sir?" Jaune walked over to the mysterious man.

"Ah, hello young Master," the man said, gesturing dramatically as he spoke. "How might I be of assistance to you, one who has been so blessed by the goddess."

 _Goddess...?_ Jaune didn't know what to make of that. "Well you see I think there might be a mistake?" he began hesitantly, unsure of what to make of this strange man in a sea of Grimm. "I don't belong here Mister…."

"Oh forgive me my boy, where are my manners," he bowed. "I am Tyrian Callows, and I shall be your combat instructor for your tenure here at Grimm Academy." He stood up straight again. "However long or _short_ that may be. Now what was this about a mistake?"

"Oh um... I don't belong here Professor Callows, I'm a human I don't belong here with all these..." He leaned forward whispering. "Monsters." Jaune suddenly felt a sharp pain poke him in the chin, the black chitinous tail of a scorpion was poised to piece his throat.

"I do not know what kind of trick you are pulling," the faunus man scowled. He motioned to the gaggle of Grimm that surrounded them. "But I will not tolerate you calling these lovely little darlings _monsters_."

There was an edge to Tyrian's voice which sent a chill down Jaune's spine. "I'm sorry!" he held up his hands. "It's just that, I think I got accepted by mistake."

"Very well, young man." The tail retracted. "If you believe that somehow our glorious headmistress has made a mistake and you wish to leave I shall not stop you."

"Wait, really?"

"Of course," Tyrian grinned. "You can walk out the door at anytime, and out into the Grimm lands where all manner of dangers await you. But you can always choose to stay. In the end the choice is up to you. Do what makes you happy."

Jaune slowly backed away from the man, the professor that somehow seemed more dangerous than all the other Grimm that surrounded him. He would receive no help. He was on his own. He was trapped.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Special thanks go out to my collaborators **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for making this chapter far better than I could have done on my own. And thanks as well to everyone else in the Work in Progress Discord for all the ideas and discussion.

Now I know at first glance people will think that something like Rosario Vampire or White Sheep inspired this story. But the truth is that it was 100% **Dishwasher1910's** wonderful art work. Go check out their drawings of Team RWBY as Grimm hybrids if you haven't seen them already. That's how the girls look in this story.

So the question now is, what do you think of this little idea? Something worth continuing? It came on a whim one day, and there's a lot of fun stuff planned for it.

Thanks as always for reading. I hope you enjoyed the start of this strange story.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Wow. You all certainly voted with your reviews. I'm absolutely blown away by the amount of interest this has received. I can't thank you enough for the feedback and inspiration. So here's a chapter 2.

* * *

Consciousness slowly returned to Jaune as he laid in his bed. The sound of a feminine voice filled his ears. He could feel a finger annoyingly poking into his ribcage. All in all, it was a typical morning for the boy. It was probably Saphron trying to get him to wake up so he wouldn't be late for school.

In an instant his weary mind snapped awake. No. It wasn't Saphron. It couldn't be his dear older sister. If only that were the case. The poking and prodding of his body would have been far less threatening.

"Jaune come on and wake up!" Ruby called out energetically. "It's time for class!"

Eyes burst open to reveal a brand new room. One he had fallen asleep in for the first time last night. It had taken quite some time to achieve that, being in the same room as... her. A moment later his eyes opened wide suddenly registering the sight before him.

Leaning over him was his new roommate Ruby, the only possible saving grace he had in this school, and she didn't have a single stitch of clothing on.

Ghostly pale flesh in all its curves and glory were revealed to him as he was starkly reminded that while his roommate may be a monster she was also a rather voluptuous young woman as well. The black veins which ran down portions of her skin did surprisingly little to detract from her beauty. Jaune did his level best to ignore the skeletal black lower right arm, and especially the necrotic flesh where it fused with the rest of her body.

"Ruby...why are you naked?" he managed to stammer out as waves of nervousness crashed over him.

Nervousness was putting it lightly. Jaune had never been this close to a naked girl before. Never in the same room as one. Time spent with his sisters when he was younger of course didn't count. No, this was nothing like the innocence of childhood with his family. This was... he didn't know what to call it. What to call her. Other than some sort of Grimm monster.

He wanted to look away. He knew that he should. If this was any other situation with any other girl, his normal manners would have taken over immediately. Yet there was something different about Ruby. It wasn't just the fact that she didn't seem to possess any shame in her exposed body like this. There was just something about her, the unnatural pale flesh, those glowing red eyes, that was alluring. Like he couldn't look away from this strange, curious, horrifying, yet attractive creature.

"'Cause I am?" she tilted her head to the side curiously. "Also you smell really good again."

The words would have sounded creepy on their own. But seeing a nude, horned girl standing above him while they were uttered? It wouldn't have surprised him if Ruby viewed him as some sort of steak dinner right now, and was about to devour his still living flesh.

His manners finally managed to get the better of him. Horrifying Grimm monster or not, Ruby still possessed the body of a human female... right arm notwithstanding. He shouldn't be gawking at her pale curves, even if she didn't seem to mind it.

"Why are you covering your face like that?"

"Just... don't worry about it." Jaune closed his eyes tighter. "Please don't tell Yang about this." The last thing he needed was to be on the receiving end of her wrath like that other poor student had been yesterday.

He still couldn't believe he had slipped on their guts and fallen on the floor. What was even harder to believe was that this sort of violent and murderous behavior was deemed okay by the faculty.

Ruby snorted, an image that would be quite adorable to imagine if the memory of her current status didn't come flowing back with it. "As if Yang would care. Sometimes she forgets to even wear her top to class!"

And of course Ruby had to put _that_ image in his head. Yang had a large, and he was being honest, attractive looking chest. The clothes she wore only emphasized it. He wondered if the sight of a bare-fleshed Yang would still be attractive even with that hulking monstrous arm of hers.

He quickly forced himself to stop imagining such a sight. "That's... great to know," he managed to force out. "Didn't you say something about getting ready for class?"

"Hmm. Oh right!" She jumped up and away from him, causing bits to jiggle all around. "I need to get ready!" The Grimm girl dashed into their adjoining bathroom.

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief as he watched her go. With her no longer invading his personal space he sat up, taking in the room around him. It was fairly small, with only a few pieces of furniture occupying its limited space. Their bunk bed sat against one wall, while a desk and chair sat on the other side of the small open area in between. A short book shelf sat against the third wall, with a window above it to provide some natural light during the day. At least it would have if the sky wasn't a mixture of purple and red...

He moved to get out of bed, only to notice something as his legs shifted. His eyes wandered down to his crotch. "Traitor," he grumbled before getting ready to start his day, unsure if his heart could take anymore.

Swinging his feet off the bed, he had to suddenly stop himself from planting them on the floor before they stepped on the tiny dog that also shared a room with Ruby and him.

Zwei, as Ruby had called him, was a black and white corgi. The fact that a simple, normal dog existed in this sort of environment with these Grimm-human hybrids was perhaps the most absurd thing Jaune had seen yet at this school. He had no idea how it had come to live here, and more specifically with Ruby. Had it belonged to one of the human or faunus professors he had met yesterday, that might make sense. But Zwei seemed to be _Ruby's_ dog. It was a question he would have to ask her someday. When things finally calmed down.

If things ever calmed down.

Jaune scooped the dog up in his arms and brought him to sit on his lap. Zwei peered up at him, his mouth open and tongue hanging out in what he could only describe as a smile.

He ran his hand through the fur on the corgi's head. "I think you're the only connection to the normal world I have in this school," he said softly.

For a moment he wondered if the dog would respond. If maybe, just like everyone else here, he was some sort of freak of nature and would be sentient. Thankfully, Zwei merely stared at him with warm gray eyes.

Jaune continued to hold him close for just a little bit longer. A normal dog may not have seemed like much, but it was one of the few pieces of normalcy he could cling to in this strange, terrifying world.

* * *

For the first time since arriving at this school, Jaune actually felt a sense of familiarity. The classroom in which he sat was much like any other he had attended during his life. On one side of the room were rows of desks, each occupied by a fellow student of his. Sometimes it felt strange to even consider these things students. Normally his peers would not be eager to tear him apart with their claws, fangs, or worse, if they ever discovered his true nature.

In the front of the room stood a man, and Jaune was thankful that he could indeed call the professor a man. Dr. Arthur Watts was tall and lanky, sporting an impressive mustache which added to the air of sophistication around him. His voice was deep and proper, his words crisp and eloquent. It was a nice change of pace from everything else Jaune had so far experienced here.

It was just a shame the subject material of the class could hardly be considered normal.

When he had first arrived in the class, he had been surprised to hear that the course would be on human politics. It was an ordinary enough subject that many students would learn about as they went through their high school and college careers. The way that Dr. Watts spoke about politics, however, was unnerving.

"Humans," the man spoke with a hint of disgust in his voice. "For all of their accomplishments, are nothing more than a collection of fools. For all of their intelligence, are easily manipulated. For all of their strength, are easily crushed."

What was stranger was how the man spoke of humanity as if he was not a part of it. He looked down on his fellow man as weak and foolish despite being a human himself. Or was he?

Jaune knew that Ruby and Yang believed him to be wearing some sort of "disguise". That he was a hybrid just like they were, and he was merely hiding that fact by posing as human. What if the same was true with Watts? Or Tyrian? Or any of them?

The fact that he had confessed his own humanity to the man who appeared to be a faunus worried him. What if the professor decided to expose him? He would be killed in a heartbeat if his humanity was revealed. Killed if he was lucky! What if they tortured him? Or ate him while he was still alive?

He snapped out of his panicked thinking when he noticed the eyes of several of his peers gazing at him. Shaking off the odd feelings that they gave him, he focused his attention on the man in the front of the classroom. Watts had to be human. There was no reason for him to be hiding his true nature like everyone believed himself to be doing.

"In this class you will learn the history of humanity and the politics which have both united and divided them. Domination does not always mean having to physically destroy your foes. Often it is beneficial to keep your enemies alive in order to use and manipulate them in order to further your own ends."

"Yeah but that's a lot less fun," he heard the voice of Yang chime in.

Sitting to his right was Ruby, and to her right, the blonde girl in question. Jaune was extremely thankful that there was a buffer in between him and the frightening girl who yesterday had been ready and willing to crush him in her giant Grimm claw.

"Service to our queen is just that. Service," Watts explained. "Having fun is not the priority here at this school, nor is it your objective once you are sent into the civilized world. You would do well to remember that, Yang."

Jaune had half expected Yang to fold her arms in frustration at being rebuked by their teacher. Then he remembered that she would be physically unable to do so. Craning his neck, he could see that she held her arm across a series of seats, supporting its incredible mass with notable creaking protest. Jaune wondered briefly if it ever got too heavy to lug around.

It was nice to see that Watts did not refer to the headmistress of the school as a goddess. Only a queen. While still unsettling, his experience with Tyrian had shown that things could be far worse. Jaune had no idea who or what exactly that terrifying woman had been, but he was beyond happy that she would most likely not be teaching any of the school's courses.

"Now let's begin with the basics," Watts continued as he opened up a textbook. "In order to properly integrate with humanity you must learn the fundamental knowledge that any ordinary person would know. Can anybody tell me the names of Remnant's four kingdoms?"

It took him a moment, but Jaune rattled off the names of the kingdoms in his mind. To his surprise, however, no one else around him seemed willing to answer. Looking around he saw how none of his peers seemed to have any idea. The overbalanced, armored man from the entrance ceremony was the first hybrid he recognized off hand. Jaune realized, looking at him again, that he had short dirty brown hair and his face seemed to be covered in aged, faded scars. Some feet away was another student wearing a heavy trench coat, who seemed to be watching the clock more than paying attention.

He felt a soft nudge from Ruby's elbow into his side. "Do you know the answer?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Yeah," he whispered back. "But... I don't exactly want to draw attention to my-"

"Jaune," Watts interrupted. "You seem like a chatty one. Do you happen to know the answer?"

That was just great. It was unnerving enough when the glowing red eyes of those around him seemed to stare at him for no reason at all. But now being called out like this by their professor, the eyes of every student in the room were focused on him. Some of them, he came to realize, did not have the normal amount of eyes one would expect.

He swallowed, and summoned up the courage to speak aloud. "Y-yes. The kingdoms are Vale, Atlas, Mistral and Vacuo."

A thin smile spread on Watts' lips. "Correct."

Jaune looked back at Ruby, remembering his earlier assumption that she had been a gazelle faunus. "Oh. And Menagerie, even though that's not technically a kingdom."

The smile widened. "Very good, Jaune. Menagerie is often overlooked in the geopolitical landscape due to the fact that they are faunus. However, it is indeed its own sovereign state with an elected official at its head."

As Watts continued with his explanation of Menagerie, Jaune felt Ruby lean over toward him again. "Wow, you're smart," she smiled. "My roomie is strong _and_ smart. This is awesome!"

Apparently at this academy knowing basic world geography made one a genius. If not for the fact that he was surrounded by monsters, this would be the best school ever.

"While we're on the subject, I feel this is a good opportunity to discuss one of the more recent events in human history, the founding of Menagerie. Humans are terribly petty creatures, willing to overlook all of their similarities and bonds over minuscule differences. If you didn't know any better you would think that they wanted to divide and fight among themselves. The war which led to the formation of Menagerie is a primary example of this foolish infighting. Can anybody tell me what led to the Faunus Rights Revolution?"

Jaune didn't know the answer to this one. He sunk lower in his seat, desperately trying to avoid becoming the center of attention once more.

To his delight he would not be singled out again. The hand belonging to a feminine creature with snow white hair and a single long horn coming out of her forehead shot up into the air. She gave Jaune honest pause, as he couldn't see any unusual distortions. It made him wonder what horrors lay behind her clothing. Perhaps snapping teeth where a supple back was?

"Yes, Weiss?"

"Because a human ate their pack leader," she stated confidently.

An audible sigh slipped through Watts' lips. "No, Weiss. That is incorrect."

Incorrect would have been an understatement. Jaune had absolutely no idea where the girl could have gotten such an idea.

Jaune saw how an angry frown formed on the lips of the girl. Her hand rose up once more, confident and defiant in its rigid posture.

"Yes?" Watts called out again.

"It's because..." she said slowly. Like she didn't have an answer in mind, but was determined not to stop until she guessed correctly. "Because humans migrated into their hunting grounds and devoured all their prey, causing mass starvation to the faunus population and starting a war over resources."

Jaune blinked. Was this girl for real? More importantly, did she represent the mindset of all the students in the room? Or was she merely a special case?

"No, that is incorrect as well," their professor said.

Yang snorted. "And she's the one who keeps going on about how brains trump 'fatty flesh'. Guess she doesn't have much at all going for her, huh Rubes?"

Ruby only shushed her sister in turn. Jaune wondered if the one named Weiss had heard the insulting commentary.

Well, at the very least he wasn't the only one who was completely ignorant about history. However unlike him, his peers had a reason not to know about human history. The fact that his lack of knowledge was comparable to that of inhuman monsters was not at all flattering to the young man.

To Jaune's surprise, Watts perked up again looking right at him. Only, he realized, Watts was actually looking just behind him.

"Blake?"

Craning his neck, out of the corner of his eye Jaune saw a sight which he did not think possible. A writhing tentacle waved lazily in the air, its slithering form moving slowly as if performing some sort of hypnotizing dance. He couldn't help but feel entranced by its horrifying form.

"Because the faunus got uppity and someone needed to put them in their place?"

He twisted to catch a glimpse of this girl, who seemed to be so close behind him. Yet, making the turn, he could find no one. Nothing was behind him any longer. A shadow moved across his peripheral.

He was distracted when a soft chuckle left Watts' mouth. "That is one way to put it, Blake. There is far more to it than that, but in essence, yes. After centuries of institutionalized racism against the faunus race, they decided that enough was enough, and rose up in revolt against the humans who controlled their lives."

"Faunus racism is a good thing," the girl, apparently named Blake, said warmly. "The negativity associated with it makes me feel warm and tingly."

Her voice was close. Eerily close. He looked to the right, but only saw the bored, near comatose Ruby idly poking her sister's shoulder with her horns. Yang was polishing her shotgun. Jaune felt a hot breath against the nape of his neck, but turning, found nothing. Was he just losing it?

"Racism is indeed one of the cornerstones of humanity's folly. Something as simple and trivial as having different physical characteristics from one another will lead to violence and hatred. Bigotry and oppression. It is a prime example of how they will always fight among themselves even over the smallest of reasons. And a prime example on how best to divide and conquer them."

Divide and conquer. Great. Saying that he was in the wrong school would be an understatement. He had enrolled here thinking that he would be able to _protect_ humanity. Not destroy it.

Still, he did wonder who exactly Dr. Watts was. If he truly was a human just like him, and not some sort of Grimm hybrid in disguise, why was he so keen on bringing humanity to its knees? Furthermore, why was everyone listening to him and allowing him to instruct them?

He decided to ask the only person in the room he could call a friend. A part of him wanted to laugh at the very thought. Friend. Sure, Ruby proclaimed him to be just that, but would she change her tune if she found out the truth about him?

He would need to choose his words carefully. Deciding that taking them straight from one of the faculty's mouth would be the wisest course, this time it was he who nudged Ruby to gain her attention. "Hey, Ruby?" he whispered.

The girl ceased her prodding of Yang's normal arm and turned to him. "Yeah?"

"Since we're, uh, blessed by the goddess," he said, the words feeling awkward just by leaving his lips. "Then why do we listen to normal people like Watts?"

Pale lips spread into a smile. It would have looked normal if not for her prominent Grimm features. "You sound like Professor Callows," she giggled softly.

Well that was a bad sign. That man scared Jaune half to death, and that's saying a lot being in a school full of monsters. "Oh. Sorry. But... why do we follow humans instead of kill them?"

A part of Jaune hoped that her answer would ease his mind. An answer such as how they don't actually want to kill humans, and they just want to get along and live in peace and harmony. It was a pipe dream to be sure, but in his situation he needed to be able to dream.

"They're not humans. They're servants of Salem."

Salem. Was that the name of the headmistress? No one had ever actually referred to her by name before. Goddess. Queen. But never her actual name.

"What's the difference?"

"Salem would kill us if we ate them," she said matter-of-factly.

The fact that she had just uttered those words without hesitation was telling. She had very specifically said ate, rather than kill. Or destroy. Or any other kind of word that could describe taking another being's life. Nope. She had spoken of eating the human faculty members.

These creatures apparently had no qualms with eating humans. What a wonderful lesson to learn on the first day of class.

Speaking of lessons, Jaune's attention finally returned to Dr. Watts, who had apparently been lecturing in the time in which he an Ruby had been speaking.

"Another fine way to incite violence and revolution is what's known as a false flag operation," the man said. "Does anyone know the definition of that phrase?"

"Oh, I know!" the familiar and enthusiastic voice of Yang shouted a couple seats down from him. Her hand raised into the air, and in doing so, connected squarely with the face of the boy sitting in the row behind her.

An audible slap of meat hitting a slab, a hideous crunch of bone, filled his ears, followed quickly by the cries of pain from the struck student. Jaune turned to see a boy with brown, rounded hair clutching his hands to his nose. Thrown backwards into the wooden row directly behind him, Jaune winced at the splintering damage such a minor hit had caused. Black ichor dripped through Dove's fingers and down his chin from what was undoubtedly a shattered nose. Nothing could have taken a blow from Yang's massive appendage and come out in one piece.

To his surprise, however, no one seemed affected by the action or injury. No one made a move to help. No one attempted to stem the bleeding or find any sort of towel to clean it up. It was surreal. Like it was nothing at all.

"Whoops. Sorry, Dove," the blonde girl said sheepishly. At least Yang appeared to be apologetic. Sort of.

Muffled moaning was the only response. At least until Dr. Watts spoke. "Yang, do please try and use your left arm from now on when raising your hand. I would prefer not to have my class interrupted every time you wish to answer a question."

"Can do."

The man nodded. "Now then, where were we?"

The rest of the class was like a blur. Its subject material was bringing about the downfall of humanity. Violence, even accidental, was acceptable. And he was surrounded by a collection of the most bizarre and frightening creatures he had ever seen in his life.

All he could do until he was dismissed was continue to lay low and hope that he would not be called on again.

* * *

Ruby could barely contain her excitement as she bounced up and down in her seat. She didn't even care about the disgusted looks that some of her nearer peers were giving her.

They didn't matter anymore. She had found someone who was able to look past her flaws and see her for what she truly was. Jaune was the best friend she ever could have hoped for. He didn't judge her for being positive. He didn't think the aura she gave off was weird or off-putting. In fact, he was a little bit weird himself. And weirdos needed to stick together.

As for why she was excited, her time had finally come! No more boring and stuffy politics classes. No more dull and droning young women teaching you how to infiltrate human society and seduce those in power. Gross! Who would ever want to seduce a filthy, ugly human anyway?

None of that mattered now, because it was time for combat class with Professor Callows! Sure he may have been a little bit off in the head, but that didn't matter. When it came to close quarters combat he was second to none when it came to faculty members. Perhaps the only one who would be able to best him was Salem herself. Not that such a contest would ever happen with the way the scorpion faunus worshipped her like a deity.

Finally Ruby would be able to show off her stuff to the rest of her peers, and hopefully put a good dosage of fear into them. She would show them that she wasn't one to be messed with, and that with her dreaded black-bone scythe she would be able to take on all comers.

Stealing a glance to her left, she confirmed that Jaune was indeed not repulsed by her cheerful demeanor. Or if he was, he did a fine job of hiding it. Just like he was able to conceal his true Grimm nature. She was so happy that they were roommates. She wanted to be able to pick his brain on why it was so easy for him to maintain his human form for so long. Was he really so strong that he could hold it at all hours of the day? That was certainly the goal when it came to this school. To be able to perfectly and indefinitely pose as a human in order to engineer the downfall of their kingdoms.

Ruby had to bring her hands up to suppress and excited squeal. Maybe she would get to see him fight today! She wondered what kind of cool appendages or claws or horns he had in his Grimm form. Or maybe... maybe he would fight in his human form! That would be a sight to see, and it would certainly impress the other students as well. Everyone would know that the strongest, smartest and coolest guy in class had picked _her_ to be his best friend. Their envy and jealousy would make her feel all warm and gooey inside.

Of course, her first partner and dearest sister Yang had her back. Their relationship had started to fray as Ruby had gotten older and clung to her cheerful nature, but Yang would never abandon her. Said elder sister was first to bat, her monstrous limb firmly planted into the ground. Yang was actively leaning against her own arm, resting her weight on it while she inspected her weapon. At times Ruby wished she could use her arm as a rest spot, but she was plenty happy with what she had. And what it could do.

Yang had not been called down, instead just going directly into the ring. She always began class as the first fighter, to weed out any weaklings that Professor Callows wanted removed, or to settle grudges she inevitably gathered. One grudge made itself known quickly, Dove volunteering to be her sister's dance partner. Ruby snorted.

Flourishing his black, feathery wings, Ruby wondered if he believed he looked impressive. A foolish thought if so. Flight was not common for hybrids, though Ruby pondered that Salem probably gifted him it as a joke for his name. Dove jumped down into the ring, stretching. His wound had already healed, as would be expected of any hybrid. Injuries did not last unless they were quite severe. Yet Ruby knew that wound, more the injury to his pride, was what drove this encounter. Touching down, he brandished his chained spear, whipping the weapon through the air with a marked mastery that could have almost impressed Ruby.

Yang yawned in response.

With the sharp gunfire from Professor Callows, the fight was on. Dove instantly took to the air, his wings giving him enough lift to rise several feet quickly. Yang was not concerned. Twisting, he immediately went into a divebomb, pulling up at the last second to unleash his spear at her. A spear that was easily sidestepped, Yang using her arm as leverage to leap up and let the spear hit where she had been standing. Landing atop the spear, Yang tilted her head up at Dove.

"We going to fight or what?"

Dove, growling, yanked the spear back. Yang, for her part, fluidly dropped off of the retreating projectile, landing with practiced ease back on the ground. She fluffed up her hair with her giant limb, letting the pale blonde locks shine in the candle light. Sweeping low at Yang, Dove was unprepared for her to plant her giant limb into the ground and spin her entire body sideways, her feet smashing into his face. Blackened blood pouring from the wound reopened, he rolled through the air away from Yang. Ruby saw this as his opening-one that he took, launching the chain of his spear out.

With Yang in midair she had no way to avoid the length of metal. Nor, Ruby saw with a grin, did she even bother to. Striking her with as much force as it could, wrapping around her normal limb, Yang did not show any sign of being hurt. Instead, she tore the chain spear from Dove's hands, tossing her shotgun into the air as high as she could. Catching the spear, she flexed shattering the chain length.

"I think you dropped something."

Yang smiled as she impaled Dove's left leg at the knee with the spear, the limb nearly severing in half in one clean blow. His howling could be heard across the room, reverberating ever so sweetly. Yang's grin widened, her black limb still planted in the ground flexing. Abruptly, she was up in the air, higher than Dove had even managed. Snatching her shotgun from its freefall, she leveled it at him.

"I might have let you live, but really what kind of example would that be for my lil sis?"

Dove didn't get a chance to respond when the shotgun blast tore away his left arm and wing, sending blood and gunfire across the sky spraying the bleachers. Dove, blown clear away, smashed into the ground with a wet thud, bones shattering. Ruby watched, eyes wide, when she saw that he was still alive, too injured to even scream any more. Clutching, uncomprehending, at what had been his left arm, the boy did not notice the shadow overhead.

Nor did he notice when Yang's massive limb slammed into him, her descent violently ending, obliterating Dove from this world. Yang's smile dimmed.

"You got blood all over my hair, bastard." Rearing back, she unleashed a flurry of blows from her giant limb, reducing the remains of Dove to so much meat and shattered bone. "Not even worth my time."

As a pair of Beowolves dragged the bloody and dismembered corpse of one of her former classmates out of the ring, she noticed how Jaune too had placed a hand over his mouth. Perhaps he was just as excited as she was. She couldn't blame him. The previous fight had been a bloodbath, and she now understood why the first couple rows of the seating in the room were known as the 'splash zone'. Yang, flipping her bloodied hair with her shotgun, sauntered off without even waiting for Mr. Callows to acknowledge her victory. No doubt to take a shower.

She would definitely have to sit up front with Jaune tomorrow for a closer look at the action.

"A fine bout," Tyrian announced as he made his way to the center of the arena. "Brutal. Savage. Bloody. You do our goddess proud when you give in to your feral nature." He raised his hand, wagging a single finger at the seated class. "You may be attending this academy to perfect your human sides, but you must never forget who you are! You, the children of Salem, are superior to mere humans in every facet! Stronger! Faster! A perfect blend of human and Grimm! Rejoice in the bloodshed of those weaker beings who would dare stand in her majesty's path!"

The speech filled Ruby with a sense of pride. Half-crazy or not, Professor Callows certainly had a way with words. His theatrics could wake her even after spending a few boring hours with Professors Watts, Rainart and Fall. This was the main event. The main course. Her blood was flowing in her veins, and blood was flowing in the arena. The only thing better than sitting here enjoying the show with her bestie would be to be down there taking part in it. She hoped that she would be picked next to fight.

"Now then," the faunus continued. "Who's next..." Tyrian held his fingers up against his forehead as he peered out dramatically into the crowd, scanning for the next combatants. "Master Cardin," was the first name he called.

A few seats to her left, the hulking brute named Cardin stood from his seat and made his way down to the arena. Hulking may have in fact been insulting to the boy's true size. Arms as thick as her own torso hung down awkwardly from his body as if they had come straight off of a Beringel, while the armored plates fused to his pale skin made him look like a walking tank rather than a humanoid Grimm.

Hefting a cruel black maul, he would certainly be a tough opponent for anyone to go up against. Herself included. Ruby however relished the challenge. The thought of her scythe tearing through his comically thin legs and forcing him to fall over onto the ground made her lick her lips in excitement.

"And..." Tyrian continued as he continued to peer into the sea of students. "Master Jaune."

Ruby gasped, looking over to her friend happily. He would be able to show off how strong he was against who was pound for pound the physically strongest guy in their class. Jaune would have the respect of the whole class after wiping the floor with Cardin!

So then why did he look utterly mortified? Stage fright, perhaps? He was still so new to this school and barely knew anyone. Maybe the idea of performing in front of them all was a little bit unnerving to him.

In any case whatever pheromone he was giving off smelled wonderful. Or was it more of that... 'deodorant' stuff he had mentioned yesterday?

"I'm so jealous!" she gushed. "Go down there and bring back a win for Team Jauby!"

She smiled proudly at the name she had come up for the two of them on the spot. Despite the academy having no official teams, she felt that she and her best friend and roommate deserved a special name just for them.

He didn't move. Was he stuck? She gave him a soft nudge to try and earn his attention. "Jaune?"

Finally his head turned to her. His eyes were wide. He must have been super excited for his eyes to be that big!

His mouth moved a few times, but it took several seconds before words finally came out. "I... I think I'm gonna throw up..."

Crimson eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh! Do you have corrosive stomach acid as one of your abilities? That'll burn through Cardin's armor really good!"

He stared at her for several more seconds without saying another word. His breathing had become heavier, probably preparing himself for the impending battle. She hadn't noticed this when they had first met, but for some reason right now he seemed really, _really_ attractive. That human form of his would be sure to grab the attention of all the ladies when they were someday sent to infiltrate the human kingdoms.

"We're waiting, Master Jaune," Tyrian said impatiently.

Ruby was impatient as well. She wanted to see Jaune fight. It was going to be so cool! And he would undoubtedly win. Then afterward they would celebrate with a nice meal in the cafeteria.

Jaune stood, and if she didn't know any better she would say that his legs seemed a little wobbly as he did so. "I... I don't feel so well, Professor. May I be excused?"

Red eyes widened in horror. No. No no no no no...

"Excused?" the man asked. His head tilted sideways in confusion. "You do not wish to take part in this fight against Master Cardin due to illness?"

"Y-yeah," he confirmed. "If that's okay with you."

"But of course," Tyrian smiled. "You will indeed be excused, if that is your desire."

Ruby stood up in an instant. "No!" she shouted. "I-I'll fight him, Professor Callows!" She grabbed Jaune by the flesh of his arm, squeezing it hard as she began to pull him behind her toward the front of the classroom. "Come on, Jaune. Let's go down there and have a match. It'll be fast and easy!"

"Ah ah! I'm afraid the young master has already made his decision," Tyrian said sadly. And with about as much sympathy as a viper had for devouring its prey. "He will be excused, just as it is written in the school's rules."

"No, please! He's new! He doesn't know what he's saying!"

Tyrian giggled with delight. "Yes, he is quite new. Now would be the perfect chance to show that he... belongs. Don't you agree?"

Something about Tyrian's voice must have finally snapped Jaune to attention. "What does that mean?" he asked.

Clapping his hands together merrily, Tyrian seemed all too pleased to carry out his duties as a professor. "Why, it means we're going to the _nurse's office_ , of course. We can't have a poor sick or injured student in our fine academy, now can we?"

Beowolves, perhaps even the two who had cleaned up the arena following the previous fight, came to flank either side of Jaune. Low and guttural growling sounded from their throats as they sidled up next to him. One snapped its jaws at his hand. The boy was quick to retract it.

"Relax. They're not here to harm you."

"They're not?" Jaune asked.

"But of course." The faunus wrapped an arm around Jaune's shoulder as he led him toward the door. "Fret not, young master. You shall be taken care of. After all, weakness must be culled from our fine academy, and you are no exception. So says our glorious goddess."

Ruby's hands curled up into tight fists as she watched Jaune be led away by their teacher. Her first friend. Her only friend. He was about to be fed to the wolves. Perhaps even literally.

She only hoped that he was as strong as she believed him to be.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Thanks to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** , my partners in crime writing this fic.

And thanks to all of you for the awesome support you've given so far. Jaune's journey in this strange new world is just getting started. Plenty more to come, and even more classmates to meet.

I hope you enjoyed it.


	3. Chapter 3

Jaune's head was buried between his legs, stomach roiling. Here he was again. The Grimm had herded him across the school, snapping jaws and impatient swipes all the while. On the way, Jaune had attempted to converse with the Beowolves. Jaune had reasoned, if these creatures could be entrusted with tasks like cleaning or moving others around, maybe they were intelligent?

The violent growling and torn sleeves spoke volumes to how much the Beowolves cared about anything he had to say, intelligent or otherwise. He had to admit, at least they hadn't disemboweled him. That was definitely an improvement over the worst case scenario. Another point in his favor, they didn't just throw him into a room made of screams and spikes! Instead the wolves literally just ran him into a bullhead and growled at him until he sat down.

That was progress! Looking to the front, he saw not the huge, lumbering form of his original pilot. Instead, waiting for him despite Jaune having gone ahead of him, was the limber, scarred Tyrian. Today was getting better and better.

Jaune started to laugh. Sooner than he'd liked, the laughter turned into quiet sobs.

Nurse's office. Of course there wouldn't be a nurse's office in a place like this. Why would there be? He had seen firsthand that students could get injured or even killed and no one batted an eye. Why would a place like this care if you were sick? What were they going to do, send you home?

If only.

Sitting in the back of the Bullhead, it was déjà vu for the boy. He had been on a ship like this, perhaps even this very one, when he had been brought to Grimm Academy. If only he had known then what he knew now, he would have asked to turn around and return to Vale. Before he had seen the sights he had. Before he had learned the horrible information that such a place even existed. Before he had become trapped.

He had no idea where Tyrian was taking him, but it was obvious to him now that it wasn't some remote hospital out in the wasteland. The creepy, horrifying, purple and red wasteland. He couldn't begin to imagine what the insane scorpion faunus had planned for him, but the fear was enough to completely nullify the effects of his motion sickness he would have normally felt at a time like this.

Although... he didn't have to simply sit back and allow it to happen. No, why would he? He had a pretty good idea of what kind of man Tyrian was. He knew what kind of creatures he served. Nothing good could come of this little trip they were taking. And Tyrian had seen fit to allow Jaune to bring his weapon with him...

It would be so easy. All he had to do was sneak behind Tyrian, who was currently piloting the ship, and drive his blade through the faunus' spine. One swift strike would be all that was needed. Tyrian was distracted, lost to his own little world, head bobbing back and forth to the beat of some song Jaune couldn't hear. What came after that wouldn't be too hard. So what if he couldn't fly a Bullhead? How hard could it be? After all, this gibbering madman was piloting it. All Jaune needed to do was stabilize it, head toward Vale, and hope to come in radio contact with someone who could help guide him on landing. Easy. That easy.

Except the thought of taking another life, no matter how bad the person was, sickened Jaune. It would make him no better than the monsters he attended the academy with. What would even be the point of leaving?

Another thought entered his mind. What about hijacking the ship? That seemed like the next best idea. He had seen a Spruce Willis movie about terrorists who had hijacked a massive commercial air ship before. Again, it was easy. With Tyrian busy piloting, all he had to do was go behind him and press the tip of Crocea Mors against his back. He wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it.

It seemed to be the only option of getting out of this place alive. Nodding to himself, and taking a deep breath, Jaune stood as quietly as he could. His right hand drifted over to his sword's handle, and fingers squeezed down tightly on the blue leather. He took a step toward the pilot. And then another. After a third step, the quiet rasp of steel scraping on steel filled his ears, sounding as loud as an explosion in the young man's mind.

Yet, the amused chuckle from the chair ahead was still louder. Near deafening, in fact. What was he laughing about?

"You are so precious, _Mister_ Jaune. Like a child, so unaware of how the world works."

Jaune's heart sank as much as his plan just had. So much for surprise. Bitterness and anger filled him, his hand remaining on the handle of his sword. "I'm not worried about crashing. If someone like you can fly this thing, I bet I can too."

Tyrian giggled, apparently unaffected by the verbal jab Jaune had just thrown his way. "Oh ho, so the child planned to kill me! My, my, here I thought you aimed only to hold me hostage and coerce me into doing what you wanted." The giggling ripped away into outright laughter. "Or, was I right the first time? Are you so weak of stomach that you think you can have it both ways?"

What was galling, to Jaune, was not the sing-song tone Tyrian had taken. It was not the condescending arrogance. Tyrian made no move to face him, to even look his way. He was nothing to the older man, not even something to threaten.

"Child of mine, let me tell you something. In nature, one must be decisive. One must be sure footed and quick witted. You, Mister Jaune Arc, are none of these things."

Jaune snarled, rushing forward drawing his sword. Bringing it up overhead, he reached the chair. He stopped. Disgust filled him. He had almost risen to the bait, lashing out in anger and violence. Lowering his sword, he suddenly found his arms jerked to the side. Something struck at his blade, deflecting it away from the chair entirely, nearly knocking him off his feet. Jaune's eyes widened as he caught up to what had happened, the brown exoskeleton darting out of sight.

His tail. His damnable tail. Tyrian's scorpion tail had knocked away his blade. Even if he had tried, even if he had followed through with the attack, it wouldn't have mattered. Like he was, like he was...

"Nothing." Tyrian's laughter caught Jaune's attention again. "You are truly nothing." The man did not even spare Jaune a glance as Tyrian leaned his head against the window of his door. "I don't believe you could kill me even if I were asleep. Though," this did garner Tyrian's attention, peering back at the boy. "We will need to work on your ability to commit. So many wonderful girls, or lads if you so prefer, will you disappoint being so half-hearted."

Did that mean he would live long enough to disappoint the 'wonderful girls' Tyrian spoke of? With no way to move forward with his plan, Jaune decided to simply ask the million lien question. "Where are we going then if you don't want me dead?"

"Whoever told you that I did not want you dead?" Tyrian sounded genuinely confused, almost insulted. "No, you misunderstand. Quite the talent you have there, your ignorance. It is a gift."

"Then why am I still alive!"

"Why, the chance to prove to everyone that your weakness can be overcome," the man explained. "I am a fair man, Mister Jaune. I want to give you a chance to return to our illustrious academy and continue your education. To prove to your peers, and even yourself, that you are far stronger than you give yourself credit for. Like formless clay, untapped potential that may yet become something. But, we cannot have untested materials produce an inferior product, Mister Jaune. So we come here. The testing grounds. The land of struggle and rebirth."

There were many words Jaune would have used to describe Tyrian. Fair was not high on the list. "But I don't want to go back. I just want to go home. Could you please just do that for me? _Please._ I'm begging you."

"Home?" Tyrian gasped. "Why, Mister Jaune, I am confused. Whatever do you mean? You are home. This is your home. Before you, should you prove worthy, is servitude to our Goddess. She has plans for you, make no mistake. Whether or not you prove to be the right man for the job depends on if you can rise to the task. You will either adapt, or you will die. Which you choose is entirely up to you."

Jaune shook his head. "How do I adapt? I'm only human! You know that! How does a human like me survive in a school full of monsters?"

Tyrian's tail moved faster than Jaune could register, and the tip of the stinger pressed lightly against his throat. He felt a sudden wetness on his neck. He hadn't felt any pain, but Jaune could only assume it was his own blood from a light scratch wound.

"What did I tell you about calling our goddess' precious children _monsters_ ," Tyrian snarled.

He knew he had messed up in that moment. He did indeed know better. He also knew that Tyrian was a psychopath who would get set off by such a word. "R-right. I'm sorry."

The tail retracted, and Jaune brought his hand up to check for blood. He found only a strange purple substance instead. It had come from Tyrian's tail. And with him being a scorpion, there could only be one explanation to what it was. _Poison._

"Fret not, I did not pierce the skin," Tyrian said, as if reading Jaune's mind. "However you would do well to mind your words. A single drop of venom would be fatal in seconds for a boy of your constitution. One without even his Aura unlocked..."

"Aura?"

Tyrian rose from his seat, Jaune's eyes widening. Stepping back, hands curled around the hilt of his sword for lack of anything else to hold, he cowered back as Tyrian stepped in front of him.

"Strike me."

Jaune stared at the psychopath.

"Right here." Opening his vest wide, Tyrian pointed to the center of his chest. "Anywhere really. Take your little sword and strike me as hard as you can."

Without thinking twice, Jaune lunged forward, thrusting Crocea Mors into Tyrian's chest with all of his strength. Before his unbelieving eyes, a purple light surged across Tyrian's body, tossing away the strike and knocking Jaune off balance. In one fluid motion, Tyrian caught the young man by the shoulder and rammed his knee into Jaune's chest. He found himself tossed away to the back of the ship, landing with a harsh crash. He wished to cry out but couldn't, the air driven from his lungs.

"That is Aura. That is what you must obtain, Mister Jaune. Make no mistake about it, there is only one path forward if you wish to live. As you are," Tyrian laughed to himself, returning to his seat. "Well that would be repeating myself. You must dedicate yourself to serving Salem just as we all have done. Our Goddess has uses for pitiful mortals such as you and me."

Jaune added fanatic to the list of adjectives he would silently use to describe Tyrian. Only silently, as he did not know how the man might lash out should the words ever be uttered aloud. The boy was certain the only reason his chest hadn't been caved in was because he was wearing armor. "How... how do I serve her?" he managed to cough out.

The words sounded wrong just by leaving his lips. He had no intent or interest in serving that terrifying woman known as Salem. However it would appear as if he would have no choice in doing so.

"The first step is to prove that you belong here. Consider this a trial by fire to prove you are capable of surviving in this school." He giggled softly. "But do not fear failure. For in the end you are nothing and nobody, and are easily replaceable in the grand scheme of things."

Those were not words anyone wanted to hear. Especially one who was fearing for his life.

"What are her plans for me?"

Tyrian stopped for a moment. Looking back, he blinked. "You know, I have no idea. Our future is completely unpredictable! Isn't that exciting?"

Jaune felt as the Bullhead jerked to a stop, and a look out the window showed that the ground was closer, but only by so much. They had almost arrived, hovering a few dozen meters above the ground.

The faunus stood and walked to stand before Jaune. Despite being almost the same height, the long and lanky man seemed gigantic in front of him. Monstrous. Terrifying. Even more so than Ruby herself.

"So..." Jaune began uneasily. "What now?"

Tyrian chuckled lightly, moving to the far wall of the ship. "Tell me. Are you familiar with myths and legends of ancient Remnant? From a time before our limited scope of history was penned by liars, cowards and fools?"

Jaune didn't know if that question was supposed to make sense. Considering who it had come from, it probably only made sense to him. In any case, however, such subjects were not all that familiar to him. "Uh... no. I'm not."

"Then allow me to teach you a lesson. It's only fitting that a professor would educate his student, after all." Jaune wasn't sure he wanted to learn anything that this madman had to teach, but he remained silent as Tyrian continued. "Long ago the ancient cultures practiced a wonderfully pragmatic method of ensuring that only the strongest and brightest would survive to adulthood. A culling of the sickly and deformed. You see, those born with imperfections would be left out in the wild to die so that the rest of the tribe would not waste precious resources on those too weak to be productive. _If_ , by some chance those deemed too weak managed to survive and grow older, then they were welcomed back by their people with open arms!"

Jaune didn't like where this was going. He knew all too well how this story applied to him. He had lied about being too sick to fight. Even if Tyrian knew he had been lying because of his true human nature, in the eyes of his peers... he was sick. Weak. A burden on the rest of them. He had to prove he was strong.

"As for you, all you must do is simply return to the academy," Tyrian continued, speaking as if it was the most easy task in the world. "If you can make your way through the Grimmlands relying on only your strength and wit then you too will have proven yourself to the rest of your peers, and will be welcomed back! And more importantly, you will uphold Salem's faith that you do indeed belong here."

It was a death sentence in all but name. Jaune could only assume there was a reason Tyrian was calling this place the Grimmlands.

Jaune jumped back when a weapon suddenly appeared on Tyrian's arm. Blades and what he could only guess were gun barrels, all bundled around the fists of his so called teacher. "Just to make sure you don't get any cute ideas..." Tyrian fired at the front of the ship, destroying the controls.

Jaune's eyes widened.

Tyrian's grin grew.

"Try not to die, Mister Jaune."

* * *

He had never felt pain so horrible as this in his life.

Blue eyes opened as he heard Tyrian's voice again. "But if you must die, you will die alone. No one will miss you. No one will mourn your loss. You will die as you lived, as nothing and nobody."

Jaune scrambled to his feet, his head ringing, vision blurred. The ship had crashed. How was he even alive? A terrible pain tore through him, the same that had woken him. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he even wanted to be alive here. Clapping jerked his attention upwards, Jaune finding himself thrown out of the Bullhead. Atop its burning remains was Tyrian, watching him with excited yellow eyes.

The faunus placed a hand on his stomach, bowing dramatically. "Farewell, and good fortune to you. Don't be too scared now. Fear will only make things more complicated, after all!"

With that, Tyrian leapt away, laughter echoing across the barren wastes. Jaune stared, watching as the faunus vanished from sight faster than he could have believed.

Toward the academy. Struggling to his feet, Jaune could just barely make out the tall dark tower on the horizon. He had no idea how many miles away it was, but in this moment it seemed entirely out of reach.

At least he had his weapon and armor. He picked Crocea Mors off the ground and removed its scabbard from his belt. Shifting it into its white heater shield form, Jaune felt as ready as he could possibly be in this horrible place. Taking a deep breath, he set out back toward the academy, and hopefully toward his own survival.

Familiar desolation was all his eyes could see. Standing between him and the tower was almost completely barren nothingness. Scattered rock formations shot up from the ground offering precious little cover as Jaune travelled, his brisk walk reflective of how badly he wanted to escape this place and return to the safety of the school. That thought alone was as insane as the man who had just brought him to this place. Safety of the school. There was nothing safe about a place teeming with those monstrous beasts. And without Tyrian present, he had no reservations of calling them what they were. They _were_ monsters.

Jaune's hands shook as he continued on his way. The shattered moon which hung ominously in the sky reflected on the strange pools of oozing black liquid which dotted the landscape. He had no idea what those puddles were, but he knew that he should do his best to avoid stepping in them. With his luck it would be some sort of living sinkhole which would suck him down and drown him.

Time no longer seemed to possess meaning as he walked. Who could say if only five minutes had passed, or fifty? Everything around him looked the same, and as far as he could tell the distant tower looked no closer than it had been when his journey began. What he did know, however, was that he had to keep going. At least if he returned to the school there was a slim chance of survival. There was a man there who despite his psychotic behavior, had told him that serving Salem would allow him to live. Salem herself knew he was just a human. If he could prove himself to somehow be valuable to her, to show her that she had not made a mistake in approving of his falsified transcripts...

The thought was driven from his head when a nearby sound drew his attention. One of those pools of black liquid had begun to bubble like a pot of water on the stove. Jaune's eyes widened, taking several steps away from ooze as he brought his sword and shield up in a defensive position in front of his body. His heart rate spiked. His breathing became heavy. Fingers gripped tightly on the handle of Crocea Mors as the bubbling intensified with each second that passed.

His heart skipped a beat when something began to emerge from the muck. A stubby snout poked through the pool, jaws opening to reveal a row of jagged teeth, with two long fangs near the front of its mouth being the most prominent. As it pulled its way onto the ground, Jaune saw how the misshapen creature only possessed two limbs on its unusual body, acting as legs to prop its forward-heavy form upright.

Jaune flinched as the creature opened its mouth again, this time emitting a high-pitched screech. He didn't have a chance think before it rushed toward him on short but powerful legs.

Instinct took over as it dove toward him, and Jaune raised his shield to meet the oncoming attack. It threw itself at his shield, and the impact of the creature nearly knocked him off his feet as he took the attack.

Perhaps the impact temporarily stunned the Grimm, as when Jaune lowered his shield to look down at his attacker it was shaking its bulbous head back and forth quickly. Taking this as an invitation to return the favor, Jaune swung down with Crocea Mors as hard as he could. Steel met the bone-like material on its head, and while the impact was solid, the result was less than ideal. Another shriek sounded from the maw of the Grimm, and Jaune brought his sword back to reveal a sizable dent in his foe's skull. But what should have been a killing blow had only inflicted a wound on the thing's thick armored skull.

It leapt at him again, and this time Jaune barely had enough time to get his shield up before it struck. The lack of preparation cost him dearly, and this time his lack of proper footing caused him to lose balance. The boy crashed down onto the ground on his back, his hands still clutching desperately to his sword and shield as the weight of the beast he was fighting pressed down on him. Snapping jaws and kicking feet threatened every inch of his body as Jaune desperately sought to keep the terrifying thing on his shield. In the end it didn't matter, as one of its thrashing feet finally found something soft and squishy, and its sharpened toes sunk into the flesh of Jaune's thigh.

The boy screamed in agony, his body jerking and spasming involuntarily to try to relieve the offending pain. He twisted to the side, and while the Grimm creature fell off of him and his shield, it also opened him up to further attack. Jaws clamped down on his left arm, and it was pain like he had never felt before in his life. Jaune felt as though he was going to pass out as the twisted beast's teeth clamped down on both flesh and armored plates alike.

He was going to die. Just as Tyrian had said. He was a dead man. This thing, this small little Grimm creature, was going to be the death of him. Maybe it was adrenaline kicking in. Maybe it was some last desperate gasp of life willing him to survive. Whatever the case, Jaune had one move left to make. With his sword in hand, he brought it up and across his body, stabbing the Grimm beast through its neck and into its torso. With no white armored plates there to guard it, the blade cut through black flesh as easily as a hot knife through butter.

The creature screeched again, however this time it was a death cry. It stumbled back a couple steps before the thing's body began to turn to dust right before Jaune's eyes. Soon enough the remnants of the beast's body scattered in the wind, leaving Jaune alone once more.

A look down at his left arm revealed a sight which nearly made him vomit. The flesh of his forearm was torn and bloody, while the armored plates on his upper arm were scratched and reddened from his own blood. If not for the armor, he might have lost his entire arm to the creature of Grimm. It was a small victory, and right now he needed all the victories he could get.

Picking himself back up, Jaune took what little scraps of loose clothing were available to him to try and bind the wounds. The orange band from his right arm would just have to do, and he wrapped it around his wounded left arm to try and stem to bleeding. He hoped it would be enough to prevent him from bleeding out before he could make it back to the academy.

If he could make it back.

He barely had enough strength in his left arm to carry his shield, but he knew that it was better to have it available than to revert it back to its scabbard form. At least he would be able to use it as some sort of barrier in order to buy him time to lash out with his sword.

Setting off toward the academy once more, the full extent of his circumstances began to dawn on him. He was grievously wounded after encountering only a single Grimm. His left arm was all but worthless now after the encounter. And there was still such a long way back to the school. But all he could do was keep moving forward. One step at a time.

Those steps ground to a sudden halt when a sudden looming shadow appeared before him. Turning around, his eyes widened in horror as a massive snake-like creature rose above him. A huge pair of glowing red eyes stared down at him, and its mouth opened to reveal teeth as long as Crocea Mors.

The last thing he saw were those teeth before the snake's mouth fell upon him, and the world went black.

* * *

This was the worst day ever.

Fear gnawed at Ruby's insides, emitting enough negativity to silence even the loudest of her detractors. Why? Why did this have to happen? Of all the things that could have happened, why did Jaune have to become ill?

It wasn't fair. She had finally found someone in her life who could see past her glaring flaws. Who could see her as something more than a broken creature. She knew that she was unusual compared to her peers. She knew that she was an oddball. A freak. An abomination of Salem. Her inherently positive demeanor made her a pariah to all those around her except for her sister, and even then that was only because they were kin. Instinct trumped choice there, and Yang was naturally driven to be protective of her own blood. It was an instinct that she was sure would not last forever.

Now her first and only friend was as good as dead. While normally the creatures of Grimm did not fight among themselves, hybrids were a special case. They were not entirely Grimm, nor were they entirely human. As a result they were still seen as dull beacons of light for the creatures of darkness to hunt out in the wild. Jaune was out there all by himself, at the mercy of the creations of Salem.

Perhaps that was why she had come to the training chamber today. To fight a battle she could not otherwise participate in. To unleash her wrath in a cathartic rage. To slay the creatures who would soon slay her friend.

Her black-bone scythe danced in her hands with practiced ease, each blow decapitating a Beowolf who had dared come within reach of her fell blade. She hated them. She wanted to destroy them all. They were proxies for the beasts that roamed the Grimmlands who even at this very moment hunted Jaune. In the end though, they were nothing more than fodder. For each Beowolf she destroyed, Salem could easily raise five more to take its place.

There was only one Jaune. And nothing could ever take his place.

Ruby screamed as the edge of her scythe met black fur, and in one swift flick of her wrist tore the thing's head clean off. It's body began to disintegrate a second later, and Ruby was left panting as she gripped the haft of her weapon tightly in her black fingers.

She was about to summon more of the beasts, but a voice stopped her. "Way to go, sis!" an unwelcoming cheerful voice sounded. Crimson eyes glanced over to see Yang enter the arena. "I think you're ready to graduate to Ursai for your next training session."

The younger sister twirled her scythe with weightless ease, the butt of its shaft slamming down into the ground. "I'll kill them too then."

Yang flashed a predatory smile, her sharpened teeth glinting in the dull overhead light. "I love it when you're feisty! You seem in a good mood today. What's up?"

Good mood. Of course it would seem that way to her sibling. Hatred. Wrath. Aggression. All of these things were seen as good things by her kind. It was only natural that Yang would pick up on her sister's negativity and see it as a good thing. What she didn't know was that she was feeling these emotions for all the wrong reasons.

Air shot through her nostrils as her gaze shifted to the floor. "Hey... Yang?"

"Yeah?"

Her neck move around uncomfortably as if trying to drive a cramp from her muscles. Her eyes remained locked on the ground. "Do you think Jaune will be okay?"

Ruby knew deep down he would not be. However, she still sought out the comfort of her kin. Of her older, wiser, and unbroken older sister. Maybe she knew something that Ruby did not. Maybe she would be able to offer words of wisdom that Ruby herself could not think of.

"I dunno," the blonde girl said instead. Not quite what Ruby had been hoping or expecting. "Does it matter though?"

To her it did. But she could very well understand why it wouldn't matter to Yang. Jaune wasn't her friend. Jaune didn't represent something in her life that she had always lacked. Jaune was seen as weak now. And as everyone knew, the sick and weak must be culled.

Ruby shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed about confiding in even her sister about such a personal matter to her. "It does to me," she said meekly. "He's my friend."

A massive and muscular arm wrapped itself around Ruby's body, pulling the girl closer to her elder sibling. "Aw, it's okay," Yang cooed. "If he's strong then he'll survive. But if he's weak then he'll die, and he was never meant to be here in the first place. And you'll be stronger too because you won't be tied down by him."

A sense of warmth and comfort washed over Ruby as Yang held her in an arm as big as her entire body. Physical comfort, however, could not do away with her worries. "But what if I felt stronger with him around?"

It was an odd question to ask for certain, and even Ruby herself didn't know why she had asked it. But there was just something about being around Jaune that made her feel great about herself. Like she finally had some sense of worth. She wasn't a burden on him like she was with Yang. He wasn't repulsed by her. They just... got along. She liked being in his presence. It was more than just him smelling good. She didn't know why, but he seemed different than all the other hybrids.

Different. Just like her.

"You said he was really strong, right?" Yang asked. Ruby nodded, prompting the girl to continue. "Like, he was always in his human form. He had perfected his human form. Not even Weiss has that down yet, and she's at the top of the class. So Jaune must be super strong."

Ruby nodded again, smiling as a memory came to her. "Yeah. Remember how he was able to dodge your attack when you first met?"

"Oh I remember," Yang laughed. "And trust me, I'm wanna get him back for that. I really hope he does survive because I wanna get some training in with him and see just how tough he is."

The words filled Ruby with a small sense of relief. Jaune had to be incredibly fast to be able to avoid Yang's strong, massive fist. Her right arm was her primary weapon, and the boy had been able to dodge it with ease on his first day. So maybe... just maybe, he would be able to make it back to the school. Maybe he would survive the culling, and prove to everyone just how strong he was.

"I hope so too," Ruby agreed softly.

"And who knows. Maybe he'll even be a good mate if he's really that strong." She gave Ruby a squeeze with her massive fingers. "Imagine the offspring of two strong hybrids like me and him!"

"Yang!"

The blonde laughed, finally releasing Ruby from her grip. "Oh what's wrong, had eyes on him yourself? No wonder you wanted to room with him..."

Ruby shook her head wildly at the accusation. "That's not it at all! We're friends!"

"Uh huh. Well if you're just friends then maybe I will take him as a mate."

A pair of smaller horns swiped up at Yang's own, the clatter of bone on bone resonating through the room. "You'd better not!"

Yang grinned down at the girl. "Oh I love it when you're jealous! But you'd better think twice if you wanna duel with me."

Two pairs of red eyes remained locked on each other, and Ruby wasn't sure if she did indeed want to challenge Yang for dominance. She had never formally clashed horns with anyone before, and her bigger, stronger sister would probably not be a good idea for her first duel.

Luckily the decision was taken out of her hands when a third voice entered the fray. "Wow. What's got you so negative today?"

Turning to the entrance, Ruby saw the massive form of Cardin strutting toward her with his usual confidence. Being hands down the largest of the hybrids in her class gave him a swagger that few people could deny was deserved. He was incredibly strong and tough. Arms the size of tree trunks were weapons in and of themselves, while the armor plates fused to his flesh gave him the protection to withstand even a blow from Yang's powerful arm.

Blood-red eyes narrowed as he approached. "What do you want?"

The boy shrugged as he neared them. "Just came to do some training, but I was surprised when I saw you here. You're actually tolerable for once. What, did Yang finally manage to knock all the positivity out of you?"

The girl in question stepped forward, her right claw balling into a fist. "You'd better watch your mouth, Cardin. Don't think that just because we're not in one of Professor Callows' matches that I won't tear you apart."

Ruby looked back and forth between the two titans of her class staring each other down. One a hulking mass of muscle and sinew, as big and powerful as a Beringel. The other while smaller, was far more agile, and still a powerhouse with her disproportioned right arm. It would be an incredible fight to see for certain, but it was not a fight that Ruby wanted to have happen on her behalf.

Surprisingly, cooler heads prevailed in the end. Maybe Cardin knew that he would likely be double teamed by the sisters should a fight break out. Not in the way he'd prefer, either. He merely smirked, shaking his head lightly. "Sometimes I wonder how you're even from the same pack," he mused. "Your little sister doesn't have the knack for violence like you do."

It wasn't the first time her and Yang's kinship had been called into question. Yang was the epitome of what a Grimm hybrid should be. Strong. Aggressive. Violent. An appendage gifted to her by Salem to enhance her capacity for destruction.

Ruby on the other hand, while she was indeed strong, was cursed with her unnatural positivity. She was defective. UnGrimm-like. And she knew it.

Perhaps it was that deficiency which made her do what she did next. Tugging on Yang's arm, she wished to defuse the situation before Cardin's words provoked Yang once more. "Let's get something to eat," she told the blonde. "All that training made me hungry."

It took a few seconds, but Yang's eyes finally broke away from Cardin's. It was better that way. While the fight would have indeed been a bloodbath, there was no guarantee it would go Yang's way.

With Jaune's chances of survival being as slim as they were, Ruby could not afford to lose her last ally in this school. Though she wouldn't let Yang know, she still held hope in her heart for Jaune.

Jaune was strong.

* * *

Jaune was dying.

He knew he was dying. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a creature of darkness and bone twisted into the shape of a snake appeared. Almost as quickly as it had appeared, it had swallowed him whole. Not even deigning to bite down, the faux reptile consumed him within its blinding, confusing red mass. It seemed to have no organs, no bones, nothing truly living within.

Just blinding, all encompassing red, surrounding, engulfing him. He could feel the red crushing down on him, smothering and burning away at his clothing. His strength, dented and tired, wore quickly within this hellish pit. Was it water? Muscle? He couldn't tell. It was all just red. All he could see was red.

No longer could he see even his own body. Closing his eyes, trying to keep the maddening red from staining his vision further, he swung wildly with his sword. No easy feat, he could barely even move his arms. In fact, he realized he couldn't move at all. Suspending in nothing, body burning and growing colder simultaneously, he was completely immobile. Up, down, nothing made sense anymore. There was no air, no liquid, no earth, only red.

Red is what he would become. It would invade his very core, his very being, it would dissolve his armor and clothing and invade his body itself. There would be no trace of him, no evidence of what had happened. He hadn't even wounded the serpent before it consumed him. This was now his fate. To be eaten by the strong, and reduced to nothing. Just as Tyrian said. Nothing. That was all the madman saw him as, and it would be all that was left.

He had tried. That had to matter for something, right? The gods have mercy on him, he had tried.

Memories drifted, family members coming and going. Sisters, so many older, the twins always causing trouble. Bratty one, always so much smarter than he was. Saphron. Overbearing, loving, responsible Saphron. Never understood. None of them had. None of them got why he was doing this. Why he wanted to fight.

Especially that madman. Red seeped into his thoughts, images fading. Only color remained. That madman. Pale flesh, cooled scars, white leather, brown, and-

Purple. Purple light. Aura. That bastard, he had that. That light. All around him burned, his body chilled, yet within, deeper and deeper, further than the red could penetrate, Jaune found it. White-gold fire, burning low, diminishing by the moment. Jaune reached out for it, touching it. He could feel its warmth, yet it wasn't enough. He needed to build it higher. He needed to rise beyond the dying embers he had found and instead become an inferno.

Grasping the flame, the red was expelled by a blinding brilliance.

* * *

Salem watched everything. Nothing happened in her kingdom that she did not witness. Few things happened on this shattered world that she was ignorant of. Seer littered the Grimmlands, infiltrated even the safest kingdoms. Acted as her eyes and ears.

At this moment she was turning away from one vision. The human had failed, of course. He was not the first to fail, nor would he be the last. It didn't matter. Hers was an ageless power, with an infinite patience to back it up. She began to arrange for Watts to feel for further subjects when a most unusual sight caught her attention.

A glowing sword burst out from the King Taijitu's abdomen.

Salem quirked an eyebrow. The sword slashed down, clumsy, but with power. Power that went beyond the child's age or skill. His semblance? The blond haired youth emerged from within the snake, falling to the ground in a heap. His clothing was frayed, skin glowing from the excess of aura healing his injuries.

Aura that was gathering more Grimm. Stronger Grimm. Salem's eyes narrowed. Maybe.

He would be allowed to live, at least a few days longer. It would be nice to finally have found the one she needed. If he disappointed her all the same, it wouldn't matter. His life, the life of his family, the life of his legacy were all nothing compared to something like her. Salem would remove and replace him if needed.

For now, he survived. Eyeing Tyrian making his return, a small smile quirked at her features.

A small jest wouldn't be amiss, she reasoned. If a scorpion took him to his doom...

* * *

Jaune found his legs unable to lift him. Yet, on the ground, he never felt happier. Every wound, every injury was fading, the pain ending. The fire he had unleashed, the aura, was mending the physical damage done so far.

Unfortunately it was quick to fade. Exhaustion was overtaking him. Joy turned to resignation when the serpent, hissing and snapping, twisted away to look at him. Only now did he see it possessed twin heads, one on either end. Jaune struggled to stand, stumbling back.

His newfound strength was nearly gone. He wasn't so sure he could draw on it again, at least not so soon. The wound of the snake hissed black mist, even as he spied the endless red that awaited him. Only this time, he knew that the creature would not make the mistake to swallow him whole.

Worse, behind him, Beowolves began to emerge. In the distance he swore he saw gorillas, watching with rapt fascination. Nightmare gorillas, but gorillas. He was being surrounded. The serpent, largest of the encroaching horde, was to be the first to strike. Jaune readied his shield, gripped his sword, and prepared to fight to the end.

An end that came all too quickly for the snake. One neck was grasped by an even larger claw, moss entangled within cracked, ancient armor. The other head, unable to twist fast enough, was impaled by a massive glowing stinger. Jaune briefly marveled at the thing, wondering if it was some kind of relic.

The snake's remaining head being severed from its body and said body crumbling to nothing revealed this not to be so. Instead a great scorpion Grimm stood, massive even for Grimm. It looked down at Jaune, chittering and chattering. Some of the lesser Grimm tried to approach, only to be swept away by its massive pincer claws.

Jaune found himself being lifted up by another appendage, the creature dropping him off on its back. He knew he should have panicked, but he wasn't about to look a gift scorpion in the mouth.

The creature moved swiftly back to the school, something Jaune also could not complain about. Be they monsters or not, at least they could speak. Weariness twisting his thoughts with delirium, he mused he'd rather be with something like Ruby or Yang than these horrors any day of the week. The school fast approaching, something occurred to Jaune as his largely silent guardian transported him safely back.

A scorpion was bringing him to safety. He couldn't stop the tired giggle that tore through him. What a coincidence that was.

It was the last thought his mind produced before weariness, and darkness, overtook him.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** As always, my thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for all their hard work and contributions to this collaboration.

Ren's flashback showed us that enough stress can unlock both Aura and Semblance. Well, there are few things more stressful than being swallowed whole by a King Taijitu. It's a shame Roman couldn't fight his way out of a Gyrphon's stomach...

So now that Jaune does have these abilities his odds of survival have just drastically improved! His journey is just beginning here at Grimm Academy.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter. I'm very excited to write chapter 4, which will introduce a new character to the main cast.

Thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

Soft. Warm. Like a heavy blanket covering his body in the dead of winter. He didn't want to move. He didn't want to shift the pleasant weight which was covering him. He didn't even want to open his eyes to the searing light which was doubtlessly piercing through the window.

"Are you awake?"

The distinctly feminine voice was soft and soothing. Caring. Protective. His mother, or maybe one of his older sisters. Despite her teasing nature, Saphron had an undeniable protective streak when it came to her younger siblings. She would undoubtedly make a great mother someday.

Jaune's head shifted on the pillow, turning to the side which he could tell was darker even through closed eyes. His face met something soft and warm. Like a second pillow pressing up against his forehead. It was pure bliss. "Five more minutes," he mumbled sleepily.

He felt a hand sift through his long blond locks. "Okay. Five more minutes. Or... more if you'd like."

More. He would most certainly like more. He didn't want this comfortable feeling to end. Despite still being half-asleep, Jaune knew he was exhausted. His body ached like he had just been training with Crocea Mors for hours straight.

It would have been just like one of his sisters to let him sleep the morning away. As one of the youngest siblings in the family, and the only brother, his older siblings did enjoy spoiling him from time to time. When they weren't tormenting him, that was. In the end it often wound up as an equal exchange.

One thing was for certain though. If it was Saphron who was trying to wake him, she needed to trim her fingernails. The way the tips of her nails stroked his scalp made them feel like a set of daggers threatening to rend the flesh from his skull.

Daggers. Rending flesh. Skull.

Images flashed in his mind. Horrifying monsters. A torn and bloody arm. The unhinged jaws of a giant snake. The red.

Jaune's head shot up, nearly hitting the underside of the bed which stood above his own. The room was dimly lit, the only light coming from a handful of candles which sat hanging from the walls. The warmth had gone, and looking next to him, he saw that it had not been a blanket which covered him. It was Ruby. At least she was wearing clothes this time. He tried to ignore the pang of disappointment at that thought.

A pair of blood-red eyes watched him with concern as he tried to collect his thoughts and memories. The last thing he remembered was being out in the Grimmlands, battling for his life against the creatures of darkness which had surrounded him on all sides. There had been a giant scorpion-like Grimm which had for some reason rescued him from the snake. The snake that had eaten him. How was he even still alive?

Even now, pale white fingers were still wrapped around his abdomen as Ruby laid next to him. The hand which had run through his hair was without question her monstrous black one. How was it that it, and she of all creatures was so comforting? So warm? Every gentle stroke made him want to fall into her embrace more and more, to just go back to sleep and rest. Then he realized the most important question. What was she doing in bed with him?

There were a plethora of questions at the front of Jaune's mind. He decided to ask the first and most obvious one. "What happened?"

Her grip on him had still not been released, and she appeared to have no intent of doing so as she responded to him. "You don't remember?"

More and more memories began filtering into his mind. Tyrian. The ship crashing. The first Grimm he had ever killed, him nearly being killed in the process. It had been a short-lived victory which could not be celebrated at the time. In a school like this, he wondered if killing any Grimm period would ever be openly celebrated.

"Some things," he answered truthfully. There were still gaps in his memory from after he had passed out. He had no idea how he had wound up in his bed. And still less of an idea of why Ruby was in it with him. "How did I get here?"

He felt Ruby's grip on him tighten as she pressed her body closer to his. "You rode a Death Stalker back to the school," she told him. There was a hint of amazement in her tone. "I can't believe it. You tamed a Death Stalker and used it to get back to the school. That's... incredible."

A Death Stalker? Was that the name of the giant scorpion which had picked him up and deposited him on its back? It was useful information to have moving forward. There was still so much he didn't know. Did all of the Grimm have individual names? Doubtlessly there was more that he didn't even know that he didn't know.

So Ruby thought that he had 'tamed' the beast for his own benefit? He supposed there was no harm in letting her believe that little white lie. No good would come from her knowing the truth, after all. "Y-yeah," he agreed. "It was, um, the best and fastest way to get back to the school. Who wants to walk, am I right?"

"Yeah..." The word was forced through her throat, with Ruby nearly choking on it before it could leave her lips.

Jaune had never seen the girl like this. Despite her frightening features, he could tell that she was shaken up by something. She hadn't even looked this sad the first day they met.

"Ruby? What's wr-"

The words were cut off as the girl pressed her head against his chest. Her horns nuzzled him, moving from side to side as her other arm wrapped around him. He was completely enveloped by the girl, being forced back down onto the bed as her horns continued to rub against him.

"I was so scared," she whispered. "I was scared you would die out there. That... that you were too sick and they'd eat you. And my only friend would be gone... I'd be alone again..."

Little did she know that he had in fact been eaten out there. He just hadn't been digested before something happened. Before his body had burned a brilliant white-gold color, and he had literally hacked his way out of a giant snake Grimm's belly.

Aura...

Just as Tyrian had shown him. It must have been his Aura. Jaune wasn't sure about the specifics of the stuff, but he knew just from his experience with Tyrian that it protected one from bodily harm. Maybe it even healed injuries. His once torn and bloody left arm was pain free. It looked and felt fully healed.

There was also the fact that Ruby, with all her super strength, was not crushing his body at this very moment. Had this been a day earlier, he was sure that the girl's grip would have crushed bones and ruptured organs. Yet now here he was, simply being held and cuddled by the Grimm girl.

Wait, why was she cuddling him?

He hated to admit it, but the feel of her soft body against his felt good. Grimm hybrid or not.

"I knew you were strong..." she continued. "But I still wasn't sure you'd come back alive..."

She was obviously distressed by the ordeal he had just been through. She was doing all she could in her power to try and comfort him. Should he not do the same for her?

Jaune wrapped his arms around her in turn, bringing the rest of her body even closer to his in the process. The act spurred the girl on, and her grip on him tightened impossibly more. If not for her long horns, it would be no different than holding any other girl against him. He had never been this close to a girl before...

In this moment, knowing where he was and what he faced, he needed any sort of comfort he could find. Right now Ruby was perhaps the only thing in this school that didn't want him harmed or killed. Her comfort was a welcome relief.

If he closed his eyes he could just pretend she was a normal girl. A normal girl without a terrifying black skeletal arm. Without a pair of horns sticking out of her forehead. Just a nice, warm, soft, squishy girl. Two squishy parts in particular that he had seen with his own eyes...

He stopped himself immediately before such thoughts could continue. _Bad Jaune,_ his mind screamed. _Don't get turned on by monster girls!_

"Strong," she whispered. "Strong arms..."

Jaune's eyes widened as he realized what she meant by that. Maybe he wasn't the only one getting turned on at the moment. His arms left her back immediately, suddenly feeling self-conscious about holding the girl in his 'strong arms' as she had put it.

Her head rose in response, a look of longing and betrayal in her eyes. "Why'd you stop?"

Sure, put him on the spot like that. There was nothing wrong with a girl, especially a Grimm hybrid girl, asking the normal human guy about why he wasn't holding her anymore!

Jaune shifted his bed, and it was enough to get Ruby to remove her arms from his body as he sat up once more. He moved so that his legs could be planted on the floor. Ruby moved as well to sit side by side with him.

He had to change the subject quickly. Or at least shift the attention. "Ruby? How long was I asleep?"

The hybrid brought a finger up to her chin. Eyes looked up to the ceiling in thought. "Hmmm. Well you came back last evening. It's morning now so... maybe twelve hours?"

He had slept for twelve hours? Just how badly had he been injured out there? More importantly, how did he get from the Death Stalker's back to in bed with Ruby? And more importantly still, why had Ruby been in bed with him?

They were all questions he desperately wanted answered. The fact that he was still alive was a wonder to the boy. Something had happened out there. Something had decided that he was worth saving, but he couldn't very well tell Ruby that it had been completely out of his hands. Not if he wanted to preserve the illusion that he was indeed strong. And right now he needed her, and everyone else in the school to believe that.

He decided that he would attempt to probe her for information without actually coming out and admitting to his own weaknesses. "So can I ask you something?"

She nodded. "Sure."

"Why were you in bed with me?"

He didn't want it to sound like some sort of accusation, but it was a real and genuine question. He had to assume that because he was back in his room with her, that she had been the first one to find him after being brought back to the school by the Death Stalker. However, bringing him back to their room didn't mean that she had to share the bed with him.

"Oh, that," she said nonchalantly. Like pressing her body up against him wasn't a big deal at all. "I just did it to protect you from Blake."

He blinked. "Blake?"

He had heard the name before, but couldn't recall who exactly it was. He couldn't put a face to the name. Considering the appearances of some of the students here, maybe that was a good thing.

"You were exhausted! I can't imagine how hard it was to battle and tame an ancient Death Stalker and command it to bring you back to the academy."

Right. He had definitely battled and tamed it. It had absolutely not just scooped him onto its back before he passed out from pain and fatigue.

"So when we saw it drop you off in front of the school I couldn't believe it! You had not only survived, but had conquered the Grimm too! But you were so tired from the fighting that you couldn't defend yourself. I knew I had to be the first to get out there and bring you back so she couldn't... get you."

"Get me?"

"And so I had to scent you in order to keep her away," she continued, ignoring his question. "If you had my scent on you then she wouldn't sneak in and try anything. Probably."

The fact that Ruby was being so vague and elusive with her explanation wasn't helping matters. He didn't know who Blake was, but Ruby was making her out to be some sort of Grimmified Boogieman. As if this place could get any worse. Now he had to worry about some hybrid named Blake who haunted the night. Who apparently preyed on the defenseless.

"Uh... thank you?" he asked.

"No problem!" she said genuinely. She playfully bumped her shoulder against his, and her tiny size betrayed the strength she was capable of. Even with Aura, it still hurt.

Still though, Ruby's solution was kind of an extreme one. Now that he was fully recovered, he was certain there was no need for such measures. If there ever was need for it in the first place. "I appreciate the thought, but you probably don't need to do it anymore. The, uh, sleeping next to me part."

She shuffled nervously next to him. "Oh. Okay."

There was more than just her body language. He could hear the uneasiness in her voice too. The last thing he wanted was for things to be awkward between them now. He couldn't afford to alienate his only friend in this school. Filling this uncomfortable silence would be an important first step in getting things back to normal.

Normal. What a funny thought in a place like this.

"So what should we do now?" he asked. "What time is it even?"

"Oh!" she said excitedly. "Let's go get some breakfast before class. You must be starving after everything you've been through."

Only now did Jaune realize that he had not eaten anything since arriving at the academy. He had woken up late yesterday and had gone to class without eating breakfast. Then came his journey in the Grimmlands. Finally he had been returned to the academy and slept for twelve hours. He was absolutely starving. He felt like he could eat an entire cow by himself.

He stood up, prompting his roommate to do the same. "That sounds great," he smiled. "You're right, I am really hungry right now."

"Good! I hear they're serving cow today."

He frowned. "You mean beef, right?" It was probably just an issue of the Grimm girl not knowing the actual term for cow meat.

* * *

It was cow meat all right. Cow meat straight off the bone.

Jaune watched in horror as his classmates tore the corpses of the animals apart with reckless abandon. Ripping flesh straight off the bone and throwing it into their mouths like ravenous dogs. The smell of blood and death filled his nostrils. Pools of red liquid puddled on the tables, eventually dribbling onto the floor when they could no longer hold the sheer amount of the stuff.

And yet... it seemed normal. For them at least. Not one of the hybrids appeared to be put off by the behavior. Not one questioned the methods in which they ate. Not one asked for the meal to be cooked. Nope. There were simply cow carcasses everywhere, and the students were chowing down on them without a care in the world.

Ruby herself seemed particularly pleased, bobbing up and down in her seat in what Jaune could only describe as a 'happy dance'. Her eyes were closed and her head gently swayed as she chewed on a piece of raw meat.

He looked down at the piece of bloody flesh on the plate in front of him. Even having gone more than twenty four hours without eating, he couldn't imagine eating it. It was like looking at a package of raw steak back home. It was just... vile. And it would most certainly actually make him ill. He couldn't afford to get sick, knowing what he knew now.

"You gonna eat that?" a nearby voice asked.

Jaune turned to see Yang staring past Ruby at him. Or more accurately, at the chunk of meat that sat before him. Her tongue was circling her lips as she eyed the animal flesh. At times he could see flashes of the pink appendage within her cheek holes. Was she licking at those as well?

He was not going to eat it. So it wouldn't hurt to give it to Yang. Maybe it would even earn her favor. "Oh, uh, you can have it," he offered politely.

The blonde's teeth bared as she smiled. A massive arm came across to snatch the meat from his plate. "Thanks!" A moment later she bit down into it, and the sound of ripping meat filled his ears. The sights, sounds, and smells were almost enough to make the boy vomit.

Ruby meanwhile reached across the table and grabbed a long, thick bone from the animal's remains. She examined it for a moment before turning to her sister. "Yaaaaaang? Can you crack the bone open for me?"

Yang sighed audibly. "Ruby, you're getting too old for me to keep doing it for you."

"But I always splinter it! Please?"

Another breath slipped from the older hybrid's lips. Taking hold of the bone that Ruby held before her, there was a sharp snapping sound as Yang broke the bone cleanly in two. "Fine. But you know if I keep doing this for you that you'll never grow up."

Ruby scoffed. "I don't _need_ to be able to do it on my own to grow up. I drink marrow."

The words might have sounded defiant if Ruby hadn't begun to happily suck the marrow out of the bone like a kid enjoying a juice box. That was certainly one way to obtain calcium. She was right in that regard.

Despite the horrors that he witnessed, Jaune's stomach still growled angrily. There had to be something, anything else to eat around here. Something to satisfy his burning hunger. Or maybe... just a way to alter the preparation of the meal.

"So..." he began. "Can I get mine cooked? Or is it always raw?"

"Cooked?" Ruby questioned. "Why would you want it cooked?"

"Yeah," Yang agreed. "Cooking gets rid of all the blood."

Yes. Yes it did. Along with all the harmful bacteria and viruses which were present in raw meat. Things which the Grimm hybrids either didn't know or have to worry about. But humans did.

Humans...

Jaune thought back to his first day. To the speech the woman named Salem had given. They were here to learn to be human. To infiltrate human society. To learn their customs and behavior. Humans certainly did not eat like wild animals. They did not eat raw meat. They did not suck the marrow from a cow's bones. Therefore, would it not make sense to begin eating like humans?

It was worth a shot. Right now it was his only option. "Well... humans cook their food," he explained. It wasn't very hard, considering that he was speaking from experience. "And we want to learn to act more human, right?"

Ruby removed the bone from her mouth, and her lips parted in awe. "That's brilliant... you should definitely ask one of the professors if you can use the kitchen!"

Yang hummed. "I never thought of it like that before." She looked down at the bloody hunk of meat in her hand. "How do humans enjoy it when it's not bloody and raw?"

Jaune laughed. "I've picked up a few tricks. Little seasoning here, different ways to prepare it. Sometimes you can even make it rare, with a bit of blood left, depending on what you're cooking." He tried to ignore the hungry glint in Yang's eye at the revelation.

"See, that's why Jaune's so smart!" Ruby gushed. "Not only does he look like the perfect human, but he thinks like one too! If I didn't know any better I'd actually think he was one!"

The words sent a chill down Jaune's spine. He couldn't leave Ruby's words hanging in the air like that. That might open up room for questions. He didn't need questions right now.

Jaune forcibly laughed, playfully slapping Ruby on the arm. "Human, that's a good one. I mean, that's why we're here, right? To blend in with humans! Like... like..."

He desperately scanned the room, but all he saw was black and white flesh. Red eyes. No one else in the room looked like he did. It seemed like no one else could, or felt like putting their human form on display like he did.

Then he saw her.

Jaune's breath hitched, stunning him briefly. There, gliding into the room amidst the carnage and blood-stained decor, was one of the most beautiful young women he could ever recall seeing. Elegant features graced her perfect face. Stunning white hair, icy blue eyes. Even with her short black dress, she was such a sharp contrast to her surroundings that it took a moment to hear the cackling beside him.

Yang's cackling.

"See something you like?" the girl asked amusedly. "Dangerous tastes there, Jaune. Though I guess she does stand out, given she's got less going on than Ruby."

Jaune shook his head. He didn't know what she meant by the Ruby comment, but he also didn't like what the girl was implying. "I'm not- that's not it at all. I just wasn't expecting to see..." He trailed off, not sure how to best phrase it. Another human? Sure, if he wanted to blow his cover that would be the perfect thing to say.

"Hey, Weiss!" the blonde shouted. "You've got an admirer over here!" She waved her giant limb overhead, prompting the beautiful snow-haired girl to glare in their direction.

"I'm not an admirer," he said louder than necessary, hoping that the approaching girl would hear. "I just- ow!"

He turned to the source of the sharp pain to his arm. Ruby was next to him, looking at him with an expression he couldn't quite read. Had she just ... poked him?

She smiled innocently. "Sorry, Jaune. Just slipped a little bit. These _two_ horns of mine," she said, putting extra emphasis on the number of horns she possessed. Like it was important for some reason. He couldn't quite figure out why. "They're really unwieldy sometimes!"

Jaune was about to reply when he realized another presence had arrived. The slamming of a food tray down onto the table next to him made him turn away from Ruby. There to his right Weiss stood beside him, arms crossed and looking him up and down.

To his horror, her appearance began to change before his very eyes. Her body shifted, features changing. Her skin whitened. Eyes changed from a light, piercing blue to blood-red in color. A single, proud horn emerged from her forehead.

She was no human. She was a monster, just like the rest of them.

Weiss sat down in the empty seat to his right, and Jaune swallowed hard as she glared at him with burning red eyes. "And who are you supposed to be exactly?"

She was intense. It was the only way he could think to describe her. Where Ruby was almost innocent in a way, and Yang seemed to be a fun-loving free spirit, Weiss was all business.

"I... um, well my name is-"

"Wait a minute, I remember you," she cut him off. "You're the one from Professor Callows' class yesterday. The one who was too ill to fight."

She wasn't wrong. However, he would still like her to know his name. "Yeah, that's me," he agreed nervously. "My na-"

"This is Jaune!" Ruby interrupted this time. There was barely contained enthusiasm in her voice as she grabbed him by the shoulder. "He made it back to the school using just this!" she continued, pointing down to the sword which hung from his belt.

Weiss peeked around his body to see what Ruby was pointing at. She studied it for a moment before her eyes came back up to meet his. "What is that? A _human_ weapon?"

It was. Now that he thought about it, Jaune had not seen many... normal weapons, for lack of a better term. Ruby herself wielded a scythe which resembled a human arm bone more than the shaft of a weapon. Yang's monstrous right arm was a weapon in its own right. He wondered what Weiss used. Probably something equally as horrifying.

There was no getting around the fact that it was a distinctly human weapon. He only hoped it would not be too big of an issue. "Uh... yeah. It is."

"You fought your way through the Grimmlands and back to the academy with _that_?"

" _And_ tamed a Death Stalker," Ruby added helpfully.

"Pretty awesome, isn't it?" Yang interjected. "Bet he plucked it off some huntsman he killed. Nothing cooler than taking a trophy off a dead body, is there?" As if to add emphasis, she savagely tore another bloody bite of meat from the slab in her hand.

Jaune turned his attention to Yang's other weapon. Her shotgun. Had she...?

"So uncivilized," Weiss commented under her breath as she dipped a spoon into the bowl of soup in front of her. Jaune nearly gagged as he saw a pair of eyeballs resting in the broth on the spoon before she daintily sucked them through her lips. He could only hope that they belonged to the cows, and not humans.

He wasn't sure if Weiss' comment had been regarding to Yang's eating habits or Jaune's trophy taking. In any case, the blonde had given him an out. For that he was thankful, and would readily take advantage of it. "Yep!" he agreed. "Some poor clueless loser thought he could be a huntsman. I put him in his place."

It was mostly true, too. Only what the hybrids around him did not realize was that _he_ was in fact that poor clueless loser who wanted to play huntsman.

What in the world had made him think he was ready for any of this? He had precious little training. He hadn't even known what Aura was, much less had it unlocked. If he had gone to a real huntsman academy, he would have likely ended up a bloody red smudge on the pavement sooner or later. It's not like he would have had anyone there to teach him the ropes and play along with his secret. That is if the staff weren't inept or corrupt enough to allow him to infiltrate. But surely a school like Beacon had to of had the most moral and competent of teachers. Right?

"See, this is why he makes such a convincing human," Ruby said. "It's more than about just looking the part. It's... it's... _everything_! How you act! How you dress! What you eat! What weapons you use! There's so much more to being human than I ever thought, and Jaune's already so good at it! He can even stay in his human form all day!"

Of course he was good at it. He _was_ human. However, if Ruby wanted to keep singing his praises then he wouldn't stop her. The more people thought highly of him, the better.

"Is that so..." Weiss pondered.

Before she or anyone else could add to the thought, a familiar cackling filled Jaune's ears from behind him. His heart skipped a beat, knowing all too well who it belonged to. The man who held Jaune's fate in his psychotic hands.

"I knew you wouldn't disappoint, _Master_ Jaune." Turning around, Jaune saw Tyrian standing close by, arms clasped behind his back as his gaze swept over the four students. He bent slightly at the waist, leaning in as if wishing to share some sort of secret with just them. "Careful with this one, ladies," he said forebodingly. "He's _very_ strong. You'll want to keep him close by..."

Jaune's mouth dropped open. He wanted to ask one simple question. Why? Why would he say such a thing?

The hysterical laughter which followed as Tyrian walked away told Jaune that it was probably best not to ask why. He likely wouldn't have gotten a sensible answer from the madman.

"He even acts terrified like a human would around Professor Callows," Weiss mused. "His impression is impeccable. I must observe him."

Sure. Acts terrified. That worked. Wait, did she just say observe him?

The answer to his internal question came soon enough when he felt a sharp pain in his right arm. Turning to his right, he saw how Weiss' head was slightly lowered, and how the tip of her horn was only inches away from his flesh.

"Ow!" he yelped. "Did you just stab me?"

Ruby's may have been an accident, but Weiss' had absolutely been intentional! The expectant glare in her eyes told him that the action had absolutely been to gain his attention. And it had worked.

"Surprised you could even notice," Yang muttered under her breath. Jaune really did not want to know what she meant by that.

"You," Weiss snapped, either ignoring or genuinely not hearing Yang. "What are you doing this weekend?"

Truth be told, Jaune hadn't had any time to plan much of anything since arriving at this school. Planning on how to use his free time was certainly on the bottom of his list of priorities.

"I, uh..."

"Good. You are going to teach me the secret to maintaining a perfect human form for extended periods of time," she demanded. "Understood?"

Maintain human forms? He wasn't even a Grimm hybrid! How could he teach something he didn't even know how to do? "Uh, well-" He was cut off by the feeling of two horns prodding into his back, drawing his attention to his other side.

"Me too!" Ruby insisted.

"Eh, guess I'm in too," Yang added. "Nothing better to do if there aren't any fights going on."

If it were Ruby alone, he may have been able to placate her demands. But Yang and Weiss? How was he going to escape this mess when he was bound to the school? It wasn't like he lived in one of the kingdoms and could just go out to the city for the whole day. The only thing outside of the school were the creatures of Grimm. Despite having tangled with them just yesterday, he wasn't sure which of the two options were more dangerous.

He felt three sets of glowing crimson eyes all staring at him. He shrunk underneath their gazes. The best he could do right now was accept their proposals, and find a way out when he wasn't under such terrifying scrutiny.

"Yeah, sure," he agreed softly. "Why not?"

It was still only breakfast. The day hadn't even truly begun yet. And yet, he couldn't imagine how things could possibly get any worse than they were right now.

And he still hadn't eaten anything yet.

* * *

Jaune managed to slip away from the table, Weiss distracted when Yang's thrashing and gulping of food flung blood her way. Weiss being distracted, panicking over her wild white hair, served to put Ruby into a fit of laughter. Maybe he could find someone to talk with, someone who would let him use the kitchen before classes began. Ruby, Yang, Weiss. Those were the only Hybrids he truly knew.

Yang was the most outwardly monstrous, Ruby a close second. Weiss, he had to admit, wasn't that strange. Normal proportions, only a single horn, and admittedly still lovely features. Was that why she had an easier time appearing human? Certainly it had to be the reason he found her the most attractive. Though, heat rising to his cheeks, Ruby had her charms as well.

"You there."

The voice was gruff but not hostile. Jaune looked up to see his original pilot, the bear of a man who had brought him to this school.

"Y-yes, Mr. Rainart?" Jaune took a step back, looking up at the towering man.

"You are to report to Salem's office immediately."

Jaune blinked. Hazel watched him impassively. Jaune blinked again. Well, at least he hadn't referred to her as a goddess.

"Should I ask...why?"

"No."

Jaune nodded. "Okay. Um, where-"

Hazel jerked his thumb back, towards a stairwell. "High as you can go. Might meet some Grimm on the way. They attack, you kill them. If you can." The larger man began to leave, stopping after a few steps, Jaune taking in everything he had said. "Don't expect anyone to hold your hand here, boy. To survive here, you must be strong. Find what it is you want and fight for it. Otherwise, you'll do nothing but waste everyone's time."

What he wants?

Jaune wanted to leave! Watching the larger man vanish down the hall, Jaune continued on. Looking up, he saw how far the top floor was. Grimacing, he set to work. Once in a while, he could see one of the jellyfish Grimm floating around. They never seemed to be hostile towards him. Once, a pair of tendrils came down in front of him, making him nearly stumble backwards down the stairs.

Looking up, however, he saw nothing. Heart hammering in his chest, he continued his trek. What would the Headmistress, Salem, want with him? Someone that had created these Hybrids, seemed to be the creator of the Grimm themselves? At least now he might get answers. In the distance, the darkness was illuminated by sparks. Looking ahead, he almost missed the clicking of something against the stonework of the walls. Turning around, he found nothing behind him.

Soft, warm air stirred against the back of his neck.

Jaune swung out, twisting all the way around again. His fist hit the wall, nothing behind him. Eyes wide, heart hammering, he looked with fascination at his now glowing fist and the cracked stone that it had struck. Something was there. Something was. He knew it.

" _I smell you."_

Twisting again, Jaune found nothing. This time he kept from lashing out again. He peered over the edge, into the depths of the stairwell. Nothing but darkness as far as the eye could see. Jaune swallowed, needing to leave. Whatever Salem had to tell him had to be better than this. All the way up, Jaune would have sworn he heard a clickety clack, almost as if something was crawling along the way. Yet never did he spy any such thing.

What Jaune did not see was a figure emerge from beneath the stairs, what he had not noticed were the bladed tendrils, clinging to the stone so closely. Glowing red eyes watched him ascend higher and higher, until they were abruptly gone once more.

Jaune arrived at the highest landing in fairly short order, knowing that even just a day ago he would have been exhausted. Now, he wasn't even winded. He approached the grand double doors, wondering if he should knock. His question was answered when they swung open, just barely missing him.

"Enter."

What struck Jaune the most when entering, head beginning to bow, was something he hadn't considered before. Salem looked exceptionally similar to the self proclaimed Hybrids, only she was almost completely human. A woman maybe in her thirties or perhaps early forties, pristine skin barring her black veins, and not a single monstrous trait to her. No skeletal arms, no missing flesh, no misshapen limbs. Not even a single horn.

"Is there something interesting to you about my appearance, child?"

Jaune rose his hands in defense. "No! I mean, I didn't mean to stare! I was just..." Jaune had to calm down. He had to. He was panicking.

A soft laughter filled the room. "At ease, child. You were probably recognizing where my children and I differ in appearance, yes?"

Jaune stepped forward, nodding. "Yes. You're so much more human looking than they are. I was just surprised by it."

Salem nodded, jewelry interwoven in her hair swaying with the motion. "It is a difficult process, I admit. Creating them is no easy task. More than one child has been lost to the pools of destruction. A regrettable sacrifice. Only one has ever come close to my own perfection, though I fear she has allowed that to go to her head a bit too much."

She sounded so normal. So serene. Jaune found himself nodding along with her words, her tone comforting and inviting. She seemed so human. It was only after that he realized what she had exactly said.

"More than one child...lost?"

Salem nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately, not all can survive a dip in the pools of destruction. Most, in fact, are torn asunder quite instantly. Rather painless once it is over, I imagine." She looked back at Jaune with a coy smile. "What, did you think they were all literally my children? No." A dark look crossed her features, one Jaune did not want to touch on. "No, I have no children of my own."

Jaune stared at her, unsure of what to say. What could he say?

"You may wonder why you are here." She glanced back at him. "Beyond the obvious, of course. You filled out your paperwork, seeded out so that only the desperate like yourself could get a hold of it. Your falsifications were amusing and you were chosen. Why though?" Walking towards him, Jaune realized how tall Salem was. It was almost daunting. "You are to play a role in these girls lives, Jaune. What that role is, you will understand in time. Make no mistake, these young women are no monsters. They were born as human as you, stolen away from their families at very young ages. They have all of the instincts of a Grimm, but I need more from them."

She moved as if she had no legs at all, gliding across the floor without a sound.

"You will be the key to their completion. The final test they must pass, to see my will done."

Jaune paled. "What do you need me to do?"

A small smile twitched at her lips. "Just be yourself, Mr. Arc. Survive, fight and thrive. You will be given nothing. You must earn everything. Make no mistake, even young Ruby would rend you in twain should she learn what you truly are. To survive, you must fight. To fight, you must thrive. To thrive..." She trailed off, looking into the distance. Jaune followed her eye line, looking into the blackened damned skies of the Grimmlands. "Do you know what Aura is, Mr. Arc?"

"I, it's a kind of light. A light that comes from within?"

Salem nodded. "Do you know what your Semblance is, Mr. Arc?"

Jaune frowned. "Semblance?"

Salem laid a hand on his shoulder. "Allow me to demonstrate."

In one fluid motion she drove her hand through his chest.

Jaune stared at the limb, embedded within his torso. The arm that had so cleanly tore his armor and penetrated his flesh. Numbness came first, only to be pushed away by blinding, all consuming pain. He couldn't even scream, so totally did the pain take him. Yet, somehow, her voice still came through, the same humane, warm tone flowing naturally as if nothing had happened. He collapsed to his knees, blood pouring.

"Your Semblance is amplification. Quite a rare gift, and one that is going to prove invaluable for you, Mr. Arc. If you had your Aura up, you would not have been so gravely wounded by that simple gesture. However, you are young. If you act quickly, you can save yourself."

Jaune tried to reach deep for that fire again. That white-gold power he had found slumbering within. It wanted to explode out, but he couldn't just do that. He had to heal this wound. He had to...

"Focus on the pain. With that, transformation comes tempered by flame." Salem's voice weighed heavy on him as he drew up the white flame. Yet it wasn't enough. Jaune remembered how he escaped the snake, focusing on the flame, willing it higher. Willing it hotter. Forcing it to burn brighter.

"When your flesh fails, let that fire devour you from within." Salem continued, Jaune burning away the injury she had inflicted on him. Finally the pain abated, and he could breathe once more. "May then your soul prevail, free to roam again."

Gasping in air, gulping it, Jaune struggled to rise from his knees. Shaking, he looked up at Salem's eyes. She wore the same small smile, held the same expression.

"Very good, Mr. Arc. My children are not quite as refined as I am, so they do not have the control that I possess. It would be in your best interest if you keep your Aura up at all times. Focus on your Semblance, for it will be the only thing that keeps you alive. It would be pleasant if you could survive. Not necessary, but pleasant."

She turned from him, looking out into the Grimmlands for reasons that escaped him. Jaune did not trust himself to speak, stumbling back toward the doors.

"Just a moment."

Jaune turned, terror in his eyes. Salem waved her hand in his direction, his chest plate mending itself as if by magic. Gawking at the repaired metal, he stared back at Salem.

"It wouldn't do to give them such an obvious opening, would it?" A small trickle of laughter came from the older woman who covered her mouth. Jaune noticed the blood that had covered her arm was similarly gone. "You are dismissed."

If Jaune had fallen down the stairs, he wouldn't have cared. If he had to choose between Tyrian and that, he would choose Tyrian every time.

Never again would he willingly seek an audience with Salem.

* * *

Jaune shut the door behind him, breathing a sigh of relief when he heard it click shut. He finally felt safe. Away from the cafeteria. Out of the hallway. And most importantly, out of the presence of Salem.

That woman had driven her hand through his chest as if it had been made of paper. As if his armor had been made of paper. He should be dead right now. He would have been if she hadn't willed him to reach down inside himself to use his Semblance. His Aura. To heal the wound she had dealt him with no effort at all.

Classes could wait. He didn't care what anyone else thought of him right now. If he was late, so be it. In this moment he needed time to recover. To collect his thoughts and emotions. A few minutes in the safety of his room would go a long way in doing that. He could then proceed to his first class of the day, and hope that he would go unnoticed throughout the day by both his peers and professors.

Professor Rainart seemed like a... decent enough person. He knew that Jaune was human, and yet did not hold it against him. He actually seemed like a fair man. Like he wanted Jaune to have a chance to succeed here. Perhaps he would need to spend more time with the mountain of a man. To learn whatever he could.

Then there were Professors Watts and Fall. He didn't have a read on them yet. As far as he knew they were unaware of his true nature, and he was unsure of how they would react. It was best to play his secret close to the chest when it came to them.

And then there was Professor Callows... the psychopath who seemed to want him to suffer. Even if the incident in the Grimmlands had been standard operating procedure, the cafeteria incident wasn't. He had no reason to comment on his strength in front of the other hybrids except to see Jaune squirm. The words had earned the attention of Weiss, who had set up what he could only describe as a 'study session' for them on the weekend. The fact that Ruby and Yang had decided to tag along would only further complicate things.

And worst of all? He still hadn't eaten a thing.

Jaune's stomach growled once more, but he was in no position to ask to use the kitchen yet. Not this soon before classes. And he was most certainly not about to chow down on the raw meat the hybrids seemed to enjoy.

A look down revealed the furry form of Zwei at his feet. Gray eyes looked up at him innocently. The dog was probably the only thing in this school that wasn't a threat to his life. It still amazed him that Ruby, a monstrous hybrid, could and would take care of a regular old dog.

His eyes widened in realization. Take care of a dog. Zwei had to eat!

A quick glance around the room revealed something that only a few days ago he never would have dreamed of doing. Sitting on the floor in the corner were two bowls. One with water, and one with food.

Not human food. But at least it wasn't raw.

Jaune bent down, ruffling the fur on Zwei's head gently. "Hey, buddy," he said softly. "I promise this is only gonna be a onetime thing, but... do you think you can share a little bit of your food with me? I'll make it up to you once I start using the kitchen."

Zwei, as expected, said nothing. However he certainly seemed to enjoy the head scratches that Jaune was giving him.

The boy smiled. Something Zwei's size probably didn't eat much anyway. "Thanks. I normally wouldn't do this, but I'm kinda desperate right now. I just need something. Anything to get me through the morning."

The dog food may as well have been filet mignon to the starving boy on that morning. His stomach had no excuse to protest the meal.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This was by far my favorite chapter to write so far. I hope it was fun to read as well.

As always my thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for their collaborating powers. Things wouldn't be going nearly as quickly or smoothly without their hard work.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.


	5. Chapter 5

The school's kitchen had quickly become a sanctuary for Jaune. It was normal. Familiar. The most dangerous thing in it was the plethora of sharp knives to cut through the many meats and ingredients in the freezer. Being surrounded by knives also made him feel safer for some reason. Maybe due to the fact that a blade was always within reach should anyone, or anything, try to harm him.

However, the use of the kitchen had not come without cost.

Jaune pushed the thought from his mind. He could deal with that later. Right now it was time for breakfast, and he was hungry. Something that would seem remarkable to him given the stench of the adjacent room, but nearly three days without a proper meal did wonders for the appetite. The ability to prepare his own meals rather than being forced to devour raw meat from animal carcasses made a world of difference in attending the school. Sure, every day may have been a struggle to survive in a world of monsters, but at least he could eat properly. If nothing else, he could have the small, simple pleasure of a nice meal three times a day.

It made sense that the place would be well-stocked when it came to actual foodstuff. The students and Salem may have been twisted Grimm creatures, but the faculty was not. There were four very human professors who could not survive off of cow eyeballs and tongues. They needed not only eatable food, but a variety as well. And what Jaune found was most certainly variety. More than he would have imagined from a place like this.

Seeing how it was breakfast, he had decided to go with the classics. Eggs, bacon, and toast would be a hearty and satisfying meal. Compliment it with a glass of milk or juice, and he would have all the nutrients he needed to get through a long, hard day of dealing with horrifying hybrids. At least until lunch. Then he would be back to prepare another meal. He would return to his sanctuary to escape the terrors of this school and its inhabitants.

The sizzling of fat filled his ears as the bacon cooked. He decided to do that first, and would then do the eggs so that they could be prepared in the bacon grease. The smell was wonderful. It reminded him of home. How he longed to return there.

 _To survive here, you must be strong. Find what it is you want and fight for it._

The words of Hazel Rainart echoed in his mind. He knew what he wanted. The only thing in the world that mattered to him now was to find a way out of this place and return home. Being a huntsman no longer mattered. Being a hero was no longer important. If he managed to make it out of this place alive, he would prove himself braver and more capable than any of his ancestors. The dangers they had faced in the past would seem trivial in comparison.

"What is that smell?"

Jaune was shaken from his thoughts by the voice from behind him. Turning, he saw the familiar form of Weiss standing in the entranceway. Truly, she was a sight for sore eyes. Even if he knew it was a lie.

Weiss had once more adopted her own human form. Gorgeous white hair cascaded down her back, while her bangs hung just above light blue eyes. She was stunning. Weiss would have grown up to be a beautiful young woman had Salem not robbed her of her freedom. Of her humanity. Of her life.

What was her last name? What kind of a person was she? Who would she have turned out to be? Knowing what he knew now thanks to Salem, these were questions that made his heart ache. Not just for Weiss, but for all of them. Were the Hybrids really that bad?

Her arms crossed over her chest when she scowled at him accusingly. "Well?"

Jaune shook his head, casting such depressing thoughts from his mind. "Oh, hey, Weiss," he greeted her nervously. He hadn't expected her to be here. Why was she not in the cafeteria having breakfast with the rest of their peers. "I'm just cooking some food."

The girl strode further into the kitchen, each step marked by poise bordering on arrogance as she approached. The way she carried herself exuded absolute confidence. It was a stark contrast from Jaune's own demeanor. "Why? We have food prepared for us in the cafeteria."

Prepared was putting it lightly. Ripping fresh meat off the bones of dead animals hardly counted as prepared for Jaune. For the hybrids, however, that was apparently enough. Some didn't even want to be that pampered.

He knew he couldn't tell her his actual reasons for cooking. Luckily Ruby and Yang had given him the perfect excuse the other day. "Right, but humans don't eat raw meat," he explained. "So we should get used to eating how they do, right? And learning as much as we can about how they prepare their food."

It truly was the perfect explanation. It was logical. It fit his own agenda as well, as both a secret human and a hybrid. If he was truly one of the strongest students because he was able to maintain a perfect human form, then it made sense that he would want to perfect his cover. Like Ruby had said, there was so much more to being human than just looking the part.

"I see," she answered neutrally.

"What about you?" he asked in turn. He hoped the question didn't sound accusatory. "What are you doing here? Anything I could help with?"

"I believe I made it clear that I was to observe you. You seem have a knack for not only being able to maintain your human form, but for understanding the intricacies of human culture as a whole. Therefore you will be a useful tool at my disposal."

A tool. A useful one, but a tool nonetheless. A part of him wanted to tell Weiss that she was the one who sounded like a tool right now, but he feared that she might understand the insult.

"I thought our study session wasn't until the weekend?" he asked.

"It isn't," she agreed. "Therefore you should feel honored that I have graced you with my presence out of my own free will and charitable nature."

Charitable. He didn't know if the girl understood what that word really meant. Charitable people normally did not use others as tools for their own benefit. Then again, she likely had a very different perspective on life itself, being a Grimm hybrid.

As if he needed to be reminded that she was one of those monsters, Weiss began to transform her physical appearance back into her true form. Already pale skin lightened until it became white as snow. Black veins ran up and down the exposed skin of her legs. And eyes, once a beautiful icy-blue, turned red as blood.

The last thing to change on her was the horn which had sprouted from the center of her forehead. She wasted no time in putting it to use, as she lowered her head and jabbed it into the side of Jaune's ribs. "Why are you destroying those eggs?"

He winced, rubbing where she had struck him with his free hand before turning to look at her. "So I can cook them?"

"The shells of chicken embryo are filled with nutrients," she said accusingly. "A valuable source of calcium in order to strengthen bone and enamel. They should not simply be discarded in such a manner."

Glancing down at her, he noted just how short the girl was. Probably a foot shorter than him. The fact that she was educating him on the importance of calcium was rich. "You probably could have used a bit more..." he muttered under his breath. He regretted it an instant later, as another sharp stab hit him in the side. "Ow!"

"What's that supposed to mean!" she snarled. "Are you insulting the length of my horn?"

She pecked him again. "Ow! Stop that!"

"No!"

After receiving several more pokes from the tip of her horn, Jaune found himself with his back against the wall. He put his arms up, trying desperately to keep Weiss from stabbing him again. "What are you, a woodpecker Grimm?"

"What's a woodpecker!" She went to poke him again.

Before she could connect his hands came down on her shoulders, and his superior reach kept the girl's horn at bay. Her head jolted up, and a pair of red eyes glared at him angrily.

"I surrender!" he shouted. "Just- just stop poking me! Okay?"

The words seemed to placate Weiss, and she took a step back. The anger disappeared from her lips, replaced by a haughty sense of accomplishment. Of victory. "Very well."

The words hung in the air for several seconds as Jaune wondered if she would stab him with her horn again. When it didn't come, he collected himself before moving back to the stove where his meal was still cooking.

Weiss followed after him, and stood beside him as he continued his preparation. He noticed how her eyes were always watching something. Either him, or what he was doing. She was drinking in every sight she could. Studying his every movement.

"What is that white powder," she asked as he began to sprinkle it on the eggs. "Is this what humans call dust?"

The image of eating dust came into Jaune's mind. What an interesting and varied way to die that would be. "No. This is salt."

"What's that?"

"It's..." he began, before the words died in his mouth. How exactly does one explain salt? It was something so basic and self-explanatory that he never imagined having to teach anyone what it was. Or what it did. "It's a mineral from the ground. It makes things taste... salty?"

A glance over to Weiss showed her glaring at him. She did not look pleased. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

"No! It's the truth!"

Without warning she snatched the shaker from his hands and poured a pile of salt into her hand. A surprisingly human tongue darted past her lips, taking the seasoning into her mouth in one fell swoop. Her face soured. "This is awful. Why are you putting it on your food?"

"You're only supposed to use a little bit. And not on its own." He wondered if Weiss, or any of the other hybrids knew the meaning of restraint. Or moderation. Judging by the way he had seen them feed the other day, they did not. They ate like animals both in practice and in mindset. Eat all you could in that moment, without thought for the future.

"So you mean to tell me that minerals that are mined from the ground can help enhance the taste of human food?"

When she put it like that it sounded off. But in the case of salt, it was true. "Yes?"

Weiss' eyes scanned the contents of the frying pan, and her focus shifted several times between it, the salt shaker, and Jaune before she finally nodded. "Very well. I will remember that."

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was for her to not believe him again, and to attack him with her horn out of anger.

With the last portions of his meal done, he slid the eggs onto the waiting plate that already contained his bacon and toast. His stomach rumbled in anticipation for the delicious food, but his manners got the better of him. A certain petite horned girl was still standing next to him, and her gaze was focused intently on his breakfast.

Picking up a fork, he offered her its handle. "Would you like to try some?"

Weiss grasped the fork delicately, and part of him was surprised. After witnessing the feeding frenzy of the other hybrids, part of him had not expected them to know how to use actual silverware. However, he then remembered the image of Weiss eating her eyeball soup in what could only be paradoxically described in a refined, civilized manner. She was certainly different from most of the other hybrids. There was a certain aura of grace and dignity around her that girls like Ruby and Yang did not possess.

"I would," she answered before scooping up a forkful of the scrambled eggs. Her eyes widened as they slid into her mouth.

Jaune couldn't help but smile at her reaction. Like a young child tasting candy for the first time. "Better than raw, isn't it?"

She nodded furiously as the fork stabbed into the fluffy yellow eggs once more. "It most certainly is," she agreed. Time and time again she returned to the plate, and with every forkful of food she ate Jaune's breakfast became smaller and smaller.

The eggs were soon gone, and the bacon was the next to go. By this point Weiss' earlier dignity had begun to fall apart entirely, and her feral nature began to emerge as she tore the bacon apart with sharp teeth. It was a sobering reminder for the young man. Weiss may have been able to put on the disguise of an elegant girl. She may have acted differently from most of the other hybrids. However at her core she was still just like them. A monster in human flesh.

In the span of a minute the plate was empty, just as Jaune's stomach still was. A long breath slipped through his nostrils. He would just have to make some more. There was no way he was going hungry in this place any longer.

As if reading his mind, Weiss set the plate down and turned to him again. "Make more."

He smiled, already moving back to the freezer to get more ingredients. "I guess you really like human food."

"It is quite appealing. There's a fine range of tastes for my own sophisticated palate."

Sophisticated. A word he would not normally have used to describe the hybrids. Yet for Weiss... it seemed to work. Almost.

Seeing how this was a school, and they were supposed to be learning to act more human, Jaune came up with an idea. Taking one of the eggs from the carton, he held it up to Weiss. "You wanna try breaking it?"

Her eyes shifted from the egg to Jaune, and she took it in claw-tipped fingers. "Very well."

What happened next came as a shock, as Weiss squeezed her hand closed around the egg before letting its contents fall into the frying pan. Crushed shell and all.

He cleared his throat, not quite sure what to say in response to the way Weiss had broken the egg. "Uh... good try," he said uneasily. Seeing how she appreciated eggshells and not wasting them, he wasn't about to tell her that this one was ruined. "We'll call that one yours. Now watch how I do it for mine."

Jaune took another egg and lightly tapped it on the edge of the pan. He separated it with his thumbs and the yolk fell next to Weiss' mess.

"See how I did it? Sometimes a gentle touch is better than raw force to do things."

Weiss' eyes were locked onto the two very different looking eggs. Her lip twitched. For a moment Jaune feared that he might have angered her by showing her up in such a manner. He hoped that she would not resort to violence as a result. He made a mental note that Weiss should not do eggs in the future.

"My, aren't you two cozy in here."

His body whirled around to see a third person in the kitchen. Thankfully not another hybrid. Or maybe not so thankfully, knowing who and what she was.

Professor Cinder Fall strode into the kitchen, her hips swaying gently with every step that she took. It was only fitting that someone like her would move in such a manner.

She was a dangerous woman. A human who worked willingly for Salem. As the professor in charge of teaching advanced infiltration techniques, he knew that she was sharp, with a mind like a diamond. She was beautiful as well, with golden eyes that burned like cigarettes. Black, silky hair which shone in the overhead lights. To finish it all, a seductive voice that was dark like tinted glass.

So what was she doing here?

"Professor Fall," Weiss greeted respectfully with a slight dip of her head.

Jaune saw this and decided to mimic the act. There was no reason to stand out to the young woman. "Professor," he echoed.

The click of heels on the tile floor resonated in his ears as Cinder approached. "May I ask what brings you to the kitchen this morning?" she asked. Thankfully the question didn't sound like they were in trouble. Rather, she sounded more curious than anything.

"Jaune is instructing me in the human techniques for preparing food," she explained.

The answer prompted Cinder to shift her focus from Weiss to him. Jaune felt obligated to provide his own response as well. "Y-yes. Because if we're going to live with humans, we should know how to eat like them too. Right?"

Cinder hummed softly. "Very true," she agreed. "One could not very well go to a restaurant and order a slab of cow straight off the bone. Or," she eyed the two very different looking eggs, "Expect eggs made in such a unique fashion."

"Yeah. So... we were just making a simple breakfast. To see how humans did it."

"Jaune taught me about salt," Weiss added. "Who knew that things found in the ground could be used to enhance the taste of food?"

He hoped that Cinder was buying all of this. It was entirely true, after all. Weiss was here learning about how to cook. She had learned about salt. And in the end, this knowledge would help the hybrids fit into human society easier. The only omission was that Jaune was human himself.

"Yup. So getting used to human food will help us stand out less in the kingdoms. It'll really help in the, uh, infiltration techniques you're teaching."

Cinder nodded, seemingly in approval. "Indeed. The two of you seem to get along quite well. I'll keep that in mind when our lessons on seduction and romantic manipulation begin. Seeing how you are comfortable interacting in one on one scenarios, perhaps you would be willing to give a demonstration to the rest of the class."

Weiss preened from the praise, if her body language was anything to go by. "I would be honored to be chosen for such an exemplary role in your class."

"Very good." Cinder had retrieved something from the refrigerator, but Jaune couldn't quite make out what it was. "I'll leave you to your extracurricular lessons then. I look forward to seeing what the two of you are able to accomplish."

"Thank you, Professor Fall," Weiss said, again gently bowing her head.

"Yeah. Thank you," Jaune followed up quickly.

As soon as the woman left the room Jaune found himself breathing a sigh of relief. She, along with Professor Watts, scared him just as much as the students themselves. As far as he knew, they did not know his secret. He didn't know how they would react if they found out. Tyrian and Hazel seemed not to care, but would they? Would they kill him on the spot? He was expendable, after all. Tyrian had said it himself. The echoes of pain in his chest spoke volumes to how much Salem cared for his well being.

Until he knew for certain, it was much better to let as few people as possible know his true nature.

He felt a poke to his arm, and saw that Weiss had once more used her horn to gain his attention. It broke him free of his thoughts about the human professors of the school. Though, was it his imagination or did she prod him a bit more gently this time?

"We still have to make more," she reminded him.

Jaune glanced back down to the frying pan and the raw eggs which sat inside. They did indeed still have to make more. And this time he would get to eat some of it as well.

* * *

"Okay Jaune, you can do this," the boy whispered to himself as he walked down the hall. He felt like a man on his way to his own execution.

The other day he had made a deal with a certain psychotic teacher. One that would allow him to cook food under the pretense of getting the hybrids used to human meals. It was a win-win. He would be able to eat, and the girls would be able to advance in their goals. However, in order to do so Jaune had to one small little favor in return.

" _There's another girl who like your dear friend Ruby finds herself so tragically ostracized by her peers." Tyrian smiled, his tail swaying as he spoke. "I was wondering if you could help out another student who is in oh so desperate need of aid. Do this and I will be glad to provide you with all the food you can eat."_

He had of course agreed like an idiot without a second thought. How hard could it be? He had survived far worse in his short time here. It should be easy to make a friend. That was until he had heard this student's name.

Blake…

A shiver ran down Jaune's spine at the mere thought of the hybrid's name. He had never seen Blake, at least not directly. She sat right behind him in Professor Watts' class and yet she always hovered just out of his line of sight. A shadow here, a tentacle there, and the occasional feel of breath on the back of his neck.

This was the same Blake that Ruby felt the need to protect him from, the one that gave even Yang pause. Yet here he was standing outside the mysterious girl's door. He raised his hand slowly, and it hung in the air inches away from the door. Perhaps if he was quiet enough Blake wouldn't hear him and he could walk away saying he at least tried.

Knuckles rapped on the door twice, the sounds echoing in the hall. As soft as they were, they still sounded like thunder in the boy's ears. He waited long seconds for Blake to answer the door.

No one came.

A breath escaped his lips. There was only one thing left to try.

"Blake?" he called out quietly. Not too soft, but at the same time not exactly begging to be noticed. He most certainly did not want any attention the girl might have to offer.

Still, there was no answer. Maybe she wasn't there. Where she may have been he couldn't say, but if she was currently not residing in her dorm, he would call that a win.

"Well, can't say I didn't try," he said to himself. "Mission accomplished to the best of my ability. That's just what I'll tell Professor Callows if he-"

As he started to turn around, he heard a creak from behind him. Looking back, the door had opened up ever so slightly. Even through the crack he could see that there was no light inside. Only darkness.

"Crap," he whispered. If there was ever an invitation to enter, this was it.

Steeling himself for what was to come, Jaune took a deep breath and pushed the door open. He was mostly correct. Stepping inside, he saw that only a single candle of purple wax lit the room. The small flame was too weak to illuminate much else than the table it sat on and some of the adjacent furniture. He could tell that there was a bed up against one of the walls. A bookshelf sat on the other side of the room, though he could not tell what it might have contained.

Yet there was no sign of the girl. Someone... or something, had opened the door for him. Though despite the fact that he could not see her, he knew she was here. He could feel her presence. He could feel the hair-raising, tingling sensation on the back of his neck.

"Blake?" he asked again. He hoped this time he would actually get an answer.

Rather than a voice, however, he heard an all too familiar sound on the walls around him. On the ceiling itself. A rapid clicking movement, like an impatient student tapping their fingernails on a desk waiting for class to end. The skittering sound moved all around him in the darkness. Circling him as it travelled from wall to wall.

 _"W_ _elcome to my parlor. To what do I owe the honor of your visit_ _?"_ a voice in the darkness questioned.

Contact. That was good. Great, in fact! Now that there was an open dialogue between the two, they could have a normal conversation.

At least what passed as normal in this school. Though...parlor? Honor? Someone read too many books.

Jaune turned his head to where he thought Blake's voice had come from. "Um, Professor Callows sent me," he told her. "He thought that maybe you could use... help?"

Jaune definitely did not want to say that Tyrian had sent him to be her friend. Or that she was ostracized. There was no telling how the girl might react.

How she reacted here was the last thing Jaune would have expected. Soft and surprisingly cheerful laughter filled the room, completely unfitting for the sort of frightening creature that was currently haunting the blackness.

 _"My, my. I do enjoy when Professor Callows brings me tasty little morsels such as yourself,"_ she purred.

Jaune hoped that she did not mean tasty in a literal sense.

The sound of wall-crawling filled his ears again, this time ending on the note of creaking mattress springs. Jaune turned to the bed, where he saw the shadow of a person sitting atop it. A moment later the blinding spark of embers lit the room for the briefest of moments, before the flame was shared with a familiar looking candle. One of the purple candles from the hall, burning black impossible light. One held by the girl he came to visit.

And then he saw her. For the first time, he saw Blake.

Ghostly white legs were bare for the world to see. Feet exposed without even socks, toes blackened by whatever Grimm blight affected all of the hybrids. Her legs didn't look right, they were too long and too thin for her body, with the worst of the black veins Jaune had yet seen. She was dressed in a tattered robe of Mistrali make, ruffled red fur or hair around her collar, along with a fanged mask that covered her face. Black cat ears flicked on the top of her head, but most startling of all were her arms.

Well, a lack of them…

Where Blake's arms should have been were instead long black tendrils as long if not longer than the girl was tall, writhing like snakes ready to strike, and tipped with blood red barbs. They looked to be sharp, cruel, and dangerous. Familiar. He had seen her, once, creating sparks when he first arrived at the hall.

Jaune swallowed hard as he took in the sight of the girl before him. "Hi, Blake." He waved sheepishly, trying to suppress every fear response his body was broadcasting to him.

"Hello, Jaune," she said seductively, her eyes shining in the candlelight. "So you've come to help me?"

"Uh... yeah." Jaune fidgeted where he stood. "So...what did you need help with?"

As soon as he had asked his question, a tentacle wrapped around his waist, the thin limb picking him up with startling ease. It possessed a strength the belied its size. Dragging him deeper into the room, he was immediately sat down on the bed.

"Oh, you see, I need help with my report." Her grip on him loosened, and Jaune immediately inched away from her. "I know the material well enough." Her tentacles waved in front of her. "But I can't hold the pen. Would you... write my notes for me?"

"Oh…" Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. All she wanted was someone to write for her. "Yeah, that's fine."

"Perfect." One of her tentacles slid up to the mask on her face, bringing it down slowly. "You're so kind, Jaune," she sang sweetly. If only her voice was what he could focus on now.

Revealed in the dim, flickering light was what lay beneath the mask. Yang may have had holes torn into one side of her face, but this was so much worse. What had been the mouth of a lovely young woman, now was a ruin. Her face was still perfectly shaped, but her lips no longer stopped where they should have. Instead they tore through cheek and muscle, sinews of moist meat revealed intermixed with jagged, gleaming fangs. They traveled up, nearly reaching her human set of ears, her cat ears held high. He could swear that an all too thin, all too long tongue could be seen, edging along the opening.

Panic shot through Jaune causing Blake to suddenly snap forward.

"Has anyone ever told you that your scent is intoxicating?" she purred, the chill of her breath tickling his ears. "You smell... delicious."

"Oh, um thanks." He was trembling. "And you... you have a lovely smile."

"Oooh, a charmer," Blake mused as both of her tendrils wrapped around him. "Professor Callows sends me the sweetest treats," she continued, while something slimy grazed his cheek. Slimy, yet warm. "Would you like to see the last thing he sent me?"

Jaune didn't know if he had a choice. Maybe if she were to show him something then her grip on him would be released. It was worth a shot. "Y-yeah. Sure."

Blake stood and glided over to bookshelf Jaune had seen earlier. Picking something up in both tentacles, she cradled the seemingly large object close to her chest. As she approached, Jaune saw that it was a glass bowl of sorts. Perhaps a pet goldfish? Or whatever kind of animal might pass off as a pet to the Grimm hybrids?

Jaune's heart, and stomach dropped as she stood in front of him with the bowl. Or as it turned out, the jar.

The jar with the severed head inside of it.

The man, or at least what was left of him, had crimson hair. A pair of short horns, very unlike the ones of the hybrids, poked through on either side of his head. What stood out the most to Jaune, however, were his scars. Not just the block letters that he couldn't quite read over his left eye. But the two long, jagged wounds which stretched out from the edges of his lips up through his cheeks.

" You'll always remember your first, Jaune," she spoke as one of her tentacles slid up and down the jar in what he could only describe in a loving manner.

"First?"

Blake hummed a confirmation. "First lover. First kill. Or in this case... both. This is Adam. You remind me a lot of him."

Warning alarms rang in Jaune's mind. Not good. He was going to die. He didn't even have a weapon at his side in order to fight the girl off. He would have to rely purely on his Aura and Semblance if he were to make it out of this alive.

"R-really?" he asked. Fists clenched at his sides, ready to strike should Blake made the first move. "How so?"

"Fear," she breathed huskily, setting the jar down on the table next to the bed. "You both reek of it."

Jaune could only imagine the terror which the man named Adam must have felt as Blake carved up his face. Likely with those horrifying tentacles of hers.

He stared at the preserved head, its lips still parted in silent screaming, amber liquid unable to hide the grizzly slashes at his mouth and what had been his throat. Warmth washed over his back and neck, the feeling of something soft slithering around his arms. Jaune flinched at the sudden contact, while a lock of black hair fell over his shoulder.

"I won't forget you either, Jaune."

It was enough to push him over the edge. Remembering what Salem had taught him, Jaune reached down inside himself and grasped the flame within. His Semblance. If Blake wanted his head in a jar, she would have to earn it. He would not go down without a fight.

His hands lit up with brilliant white light, enough to illuminate the room completely. He had no time to take in his surroundings, however, as he made his move to fight or flee. As it turned out, it would be the latter.

An angry hiss spat from Blake's lips as both her body and tentacles recoiled in pain. Free of her grip now, Jaune stood up, only to see that Blake had retreated. She skittered up the wall away from him. Away from the light. It was just the opening he needed.

Not wanting to spend another second in the room, Jaune dashed over to the door and pulled it open. He threw himself outside with reckless abandon, so much so that he crashed into the wall across the hall from Blake's room. Luckily his Aura absorbed all of the damage he would have taken from the hit, and he picked himself up from the ground before he hurried back to the safety of his own room. What might have scared him more than anything else, something he realized as he ran and stumbled over himself...

He could have sworn he heard her laughing.

* * *

It was late, and Jaune still wasn't back yet. She didn't know what to think.

Ruby sat on the bottom bunk of their beds as she waited for his return. Earlier in the day he had told her that there was a special task he had to take care of, and that he could only do it alone. It had come from Professor Callows himself. Part of Ruby swelled with pride at the thought. Of course someone as talented and strong as Jaune would be getting special assignments from the professors. Yet at the same time, she was sad that she couldn't participate with him. They were roommates, after all. They were friends.

The room felt lonely without him. As lonely as it had before he came to the school.

He would be back soon enough though. After all, whatever he was doing couldn't keep him out too late. They had class tomorrow. The professors wouldn't keep him out too late if they had classes the next day.

What was he even doing!

The questions and uncertainty were eating away at Ruby as she sat on the bed. She was going to interrogate him hard when he came back. It wasn't because she was jealous or anything. Nope. Not at all. She just really, _really_ wanted to know what her bestie was up to. If he was having any fun without her. If maybe he had found a totally new and unbroken friend to spend his time with. One who wasn't a positive problem child like herself.

Teeth bit down into her lower lip, almost enough to draw blood. She shook her head at the negative thoughts in her mind. Yang would have probably praised her for her envy. Yet, she didn't want to feel this way. She didn't want to feel full of negativity. What was so wrong with being positive? Positive thoughts felt good.

And that was exactly why she stood out from the rest of her peers.

Speaking of negativity, Ruby sensed a sudden spike in it from outside her room. It was growing closer with each passing second. Like a bright beacon of light in the darkness, a troubled mind was nearing her. She stood up, staring at the door as she pondered whether or not to go outside and see exactly what was going on.

Luckily for her, in more ways than one, the door flung open to reveal the boy she had just been thinking about. The source of negativity had found her instead, and she had never been more thankful to be able to bask in its presence.

Jaune slammed the door behind him, his breathing heavy from physical exertion. Had he been running? Or was he breathless due to whatever he had been out doing without her? There was only one way to find out.

"Jaune?" she asked. "What's going on?"

He whirled around at the sound of her voice, and an incredulous laugh slipped through his lips. The young man smiled as he took in the sight of her. "Ruby. I've never been more happy that you're my roommate."

Ruby felt a squeezing sensation in the left side of her chest. However, it paled in comparison to the tight embrace that Jaune wrapped her in as he moved next to her. His arms surrounded her, holding on for dear life as they stood in the middle of the room.

It took a moment, but Ruby returned the hug, as she circled her arms around his broad torso. Her head found his chest, and her horns rubbed against him affectionately.

They stayed like that for long moments, and Ruby was unsure what prompted this sudden display of appreciation for her. What had he been out there doing which made him act in such a manner? Would it even be a good idea to ask? Or should she let him discuss it at his own pace if and when he was ready?

In the end her own voracious personality got the better of her, and once they parted she decided to pursue the issue. "So where were you?"

Deep blue eyes stared down at her. Haunted eyes. "I... was seeing someone."

She knew it! She knew he was seeing someone else! Whatever little mission Professor Callows had given him had involved another hybrid.

"Oh," she said hesitantly. "Do you mind me asking who?"

Jaune swallowed hard. He too seemed hesitant to talk. Eventually though, it came. "Blake."

Ruby felt her heart drop. Blake. The youngest, most recently turned, and as a result, the most monstrous of all the students in the academy. Turning someone of her age into a hybrid had been a difficult task, and as a result a significant amount of effort had been put into the process. What emerged from the pool of destruction had been the most warped, sadistic, and beautiful of all of Salem's children.

And Jaune had just spent the evening alone with her.

One white and one black fist tightened in response to hearing of where her best friend had been this evening. Jaune absolutely reeked of negativity. He and Blake must have had a spectacular time together.

"I see," she whispered. So then what had the hug been for? Trying to make up for the fact that he had such a good time with someone _not_ her?

A long breath escaped the boy's lips as his gaze fell to the floor. "I think... I'm going to go to bed now."

Ruby nodded. Probably exhausted from all the fun. Too exhausted to spend time with her.

"Sure. I guess I will too," she resigned. Her fingers fell to the hem of her dress, and began to lift it in order to prepare herself for bed.

She was stopped in her tracks when Jaune grabbed at her hand. "Ruby! I thought we had this conversation already!"

She peered up at him in confusion. "Huh?"

"About..." he started, nervousness creeping into his voice. "About you sleeping naked. And walking around our room naked. Don't you have something else to sleep in?"

She did not. Why would one require different clothes to sleep in? It wasn't as if there was anything to hide in the comfort of her own room. There was nothing in here she needed to protect her body from. No environmental hazards. It was natural to sleep in the nude.

"I don't," she admitted.

Jaune sighed, and he went over to his dresser, pulling open the door and taking something out. He handed her a folded up shirt. "Here, you can have one of mine then. It's big enough for me, so it'll probably fit more like a nightgown for you."

Ruby looked down at the garment. Normally she would have been thrilled to receive something from Jaune. Only his reasoning here wasn't nearly as complimentary as it could have been. He had given her this shirt in order to conceal herself. To conceal her body from him.

He must have found her body ugly to look at. A twinge of pain stabbed at her heart.

When she thought about it, the reason was obvious.

She remembered how he had looked at Weiss the other day when she entered the cafeteria. Jaune had stared at her like a long lost mate. Like she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. And how had she looked when she strutted into the cafeteria?

She had looked human.

Of course Jaune would find the human form so appealing. He was so advanced, so much further along than any of them, that he was already beginning to find the human body attractive. If he and the rest of them were to properly infiltrate the kingdoms, they could not be repulsed by the human form. On the contrary, they would have to mingle with humans. Date humans. Maybe even mate with humans.

Jaune was already at that point. No wonder he found Weiss' form so attractive, while he wanted Ruby herself to cover her own.

The redhead closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It had been a while since she had attempted a transformation, but in this moment she needed to try. Willing herself with all the strength she possessed, Ruby felt as her body began to shift and change. White skin darkened into a pale tan. The black veins that covered her body vanished. Her glowing crimson eyes turned into a brilliant silver. There was only one thing which she couldn't change.

Her horns remained.

It was merely one more way she was imperfect. One lesson she still had yet to learn. How to completely transform into a flawless human. Until she could eliminate her horns, she would never be allowed to go into the kingdoms and fulfill her purpose.

Still... it was worth a shot tonight. To let Jaune see how human she could be. To see if maybe he would find her appealing in this form.

"Jaune," she said quietly.

The boy's back was to her, presumably so she could change into the shirt he had provided. When he turned to face her, his eyes widened. She didn't know whether that was good or bad.

"Ruby..." he breathed. "What-"

"My human form," she said softly. Nervously. "I know it's not perfect yet. Can't get rid of these things," she said as she pointed up to the two horns which still graced her forehead. "But I just wanted to show you. And see what you thought."

He continued to stare. His eyes were still wide. Glistening. Ocean-blue eyes had become as wet as the water they resembled. How curious.

"That's how you would have looked..."

Her own silver eyes squinted. What was he talking about?

"So what do you think?" she asked. Prepared for the worst possible answer he could give. That she wasn't as attractive as Weiss. That her horns ruined her human disguise.

"I think you're beautiful," he whispered, as liquid rolled down his cheek. What was that clear substance? Was there water leaking from the ceiling?

Whatever the case, Ruby felt how her heart was pounding in her chest. Her adrenaline was surging, as if preparing for a battle. Yet there wasn't any danger. There weren't any opponents to fight. So then why was her body reacting in such a fashion?

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

He nodded. "Yeah." Brushing the liquid away from his eyes, Jaune turned to avert his gaze once more. "I'll let you get changed though. I'll be a few minutes."

Jaune turned and walked over to their bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Ruby watched him go, her eyes moving from him down to the shirt in her hands once he had left her sight. She brought it up to his face, and took a deep whiff of the fabric. It smelled like him. He was scenting her, just as she had done to him before.

Maybe he didn't find her so unattractive after all.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** My thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrux** as always for their wonderful contributions to this story.

Blake was an absolute joy to write for all three of us. Black comedy and horror in one nice package. And this chapter really is representative of what this story is as a whole. There's only room for two categories, but it really is more than just those two. It's comedy, even if it's not your particular brand of comedy. It's horror. It's drama. It's romance. And you can get all of those things from every character.

Thanks to everyone for continuing to read and review. I never imagined that this fic would become so popular so quickly. Your feedback and enthusiasm continues to inspire not just me, but the rest of my Discord server to keep brainstorming on a daily basis.

I hope you enjoyed it.


	6. Chapter 6

Silver eyes gazed lovingly across a creek. Jaune smiled, the fair skinned Ruby awaiting him with a warm smile. She was clad in a white dress, her red and black hair matted by fresh dew. Beside her, attempting to look haughty but unable to hide a smug expression, was the icey blue eyed, white haired Weiss. Arms crossed, she mouthed silently if he was coming to join them or not. Behind them both, arms slung around either of the two's shoulders, was Yang. Dark blue eyes like his own, darker dirty blonde hair, and a gentle, sisterly smile completed the image.

She was supportive of her sister and friend, as big sisters should be. As his own was. Saphron was who Yang, like this, reminded him most. Sweet, caring, kind. Jaune picked up the pace, the creek growing closer and closer. He was going to visit them, be with them. He stopped short at the banks of the creek, the water rushing faster, digging the channel deeper. Soon it was a river, foamy white water rushing impossibly fast before him. Water that turned black as oil, polluting the earth and stones.

Black veins tore across the ground, corrupting the earth and killing the greenery. Jerking his head up, Jaune hollered at the girls. Yet his voice would not sound, the trio smiling and waving obliviously towards him. From behind them, a gigantic arm tore the ground asunder. Stark white, scarred by pulsing black veins, it snatched the three girls and dragged their screaming bodies under. Jaune ran. Ran from the flowing black river, ran from the burying of the three. At least, he tried to.

No matter how far he ran, the river was always at his back. Threatening to consume him, to take him away. Then, he was unable to run at all, black roots tearing their way free of the earth all around him. Ensnaring him, dragging him down. The muddy hills shifted and moaned, cracked and shuddered. A grasping hand burst forth, caked in grime and mud. The flesh was necrotic, falling away from the bones in places.

A ruined face, eyes eaten away and left as mud dripping holes, pulled itself out next. Black and red hair now appeared only black, chunks of it falling away.

"You could have saved us."

Jaune, struggling against the black roots, wished he could scream in terror. Yet nothing would come. His throat constricted, his terror forcibly held within. The decaying, rapidly skeletal face of Ruby twisted in a pained grimace.

"You should have saved us."

Twisted skeletal claws reached for Jaune's face, coming within inches of his widened, terror stricken eyes.

"You will never save us!"

Jaune tried to force his way from under his covers. His eyes shot open, his body jerking but finding itself held back. Panic from the nightmare gripped him, tore at him. What was going on? He couldn't move. Had Ruby grabbed hold of him? No.

How he wished it had been her.

A glance to his side saw that it was not Ruby who held him in her grasp today. Nor was the nightmarish roots, endlessly reaching up from beneath the muddy soil. No, this might have been worse. It was the last hybrid he would have expected. The last one he would have wanted. On this morning, the blond found himself in the strong grip of Blake's tentacles.

Glowing crimson eyes stared into his own, wide with excitement. Anticipation. Lust. A wide, cheshire grin split her face in half, rows of sharp teeth on display for him. A smile which betrayed her true emotions in this moment. The hybrid was enjoying herself. It was no surprise that it was at his expense.

"Good morning," the monster purred. The words had probably meant to sound sensual, like a woman waking up in the arms of her lover following a night of passion.

Luckily Jaune had no memories of anything like that occurring, and he aimed to keep it that way. There was only one way out of this. "Rub-"

His scream was cut off before he could even finish his roommate's name. His mouth was suddenly filled, breathing nearly completely restricted...by her tongue. Her slimy, long, pink appendage twisted, pure muscle that filled his mouth like a third tendril all its own. Nostrils flaring, fear mounting, Jaune struggled as he felt it writhe.

"Shh," her mouth moved very slightly, avoiding her own tongue. "No, no." Her voice was distorted by their current predicament, Jaune could feel her tongue move as she spoke. "None of that. Don't ruin the moment."

Jaune's eyes darted up to the underside of the top bunk. He had no idea what time it was, seeing how the sun never seemed to shine in this strange, dark land. Ruby would have heard his brief outburst. She would have felt his fear spike. Yet, it seemed Ruby wasn't here. What, did that mean it was morning already? Was she out eating breakfast? He didn't think so, considering that she would have normally woke him up so that they could go together. Unless... maybe Ruby hadn't left of her own volition.

Zwei was somewhere on the floor barking, but it would seem that this cat, or cat-like hybrid, did not fear dogs. The brave little creature's efforts were in vain, but Jaune could only hope that the noise which Zwei was making would cause somebody, anybody, to come.

He continued to struggle in the tight grip of Blake's tentacles, but even only one of them constricting his body was more than enough to keep him immobile. She seemed to enjoy his struggling, as her horrifying smile never left her face. Her long tongue retracted back into her mouth, freeing Jaune if only slightly. As it came back, it slid across the torn and ruined mouth, along what could be described as her lips, like an animal anticipating its meal.

"Let me go," Jaune kept his voice low, not wanting to present another opening for her to exploit. "Please just let me go and we can forget this ever happened."

Blake's head shook. "I don't know what kind of pheromone you're producing, but it's utterly intoxicating," she whispered darkly. "I just want to devour you right here and now."

Jaune's eyes widened when he felt the tentacles worm their way beneath his clothing, Blake's breathing growing heavy. Maw open, drool building, she leaned down to his neck. Jaune continued to thrash in a vain attempt to escape. This was it. A continuation of the previous night. Only this time she actually was going to eat him. She was going to do whatever it was that she did to the poor man whose head was sitting in a jar on her bookshelf. Would he become the next head?

"I suppose today I can settle for just a taste..."

Blake's jaws opened wide, and her long tongue came out to meet Jaune's flesh. A warm and wet trail was left on his cheek the hybrid ran her tongue across him. It was agonizingly slow as she sought to enjoy every inch of him.

* * *

Warmth. Security. Two feelings which were able to penetrate the haze of her still half-conscious mind.

Ruby laid in bed, unwilling to fully wake up as she drifted somewhere in between sleeping and waking up. Right here, right now, in this moment, she did not want to wake up. Not when she was feeling this good. Not when this rare but familiar feeling was once more in her grasp.

Her hands snaked around the body which lay next to her, the flesh of their stomach surprisingly soft and smooth. Fingers gently grazed it, the sensation enough to send chills of satisfaction running down her spine. After having slept alone for so long, there was nothing quite like sharing a bed with another. Nothing like holding another in your arms, and being held by another. Sadly the latter experience was disappointingly lacking on this morning.

She inhaled deeply and contently, her nostrils picking up an all too familiar scent. Jaune's scent. It was a pleasant and welcome smell. Her roommate. Her friend. Her emotional rock in a cruel and lonely world. The only one outside of her sister who was able to tolerate her presence. The only one who thought that she was beautiful.

Hands drifted up from his stomach, working their way to a surprisingly squishy chest. It was shocking that they had fallen asleep together, especially after Jaune had told her that further incidents would not be necessary. She couldn't recall slipping into bed with him like she had after his journey in the Grimmlands.

It was even more unexpected that she was the big spoon. Jaune was so tall and large that the idea of him being the one to press his back against her chest was laughable. She was surprised that she was able to wrap her arms around his broad, strong torso. His strong, manly chest. And yet here they were making it work. Somehow.

Jaune shifted in her arms, and Ruby felt something hard poke her hand. His horn. Ruby's fingers touched the boney protrusion jutting out of his forehead, stroking it lightly. It brought a smile to her lips. "Jaune, your horn is so hard," she giggled in a sleepy daze.

Even now her brain was creating the imagery of what the two of them must have looked like in the moment. She could see a clear picture of the scene in her mind. She could see Jaune's Grimm form. A form he had never shown anyone else but her. It was because they had a special bond. Perhaps they would form a pack together someday. She couldn't imagine doing it with anyone but him.

Wait. She had never seen Jaune's Grimm form. She didn't even know if he had a horn.

Fear shot through her, striking hard and fast like a bolt of lightning. It was enough to bring her out of her half-conscious state, and force her to wake up fully. As red eyes opened, the sight she took in was not the messy blond hair of her roommate which she had expected to find. Rather, it was the snow-white hair of an all too familiar classmate.

Hands retracted immediately, and Ruby let out a surprised yelp as she pushed herself away from the sleeping form of Weiss. Or at least, what had been a sleeping Weiss. In her haste to escape Ruby had fallen off of the bed, crashing onto the floor and alerting the other hybrid to her presence.

As she sat up, she saw how Weiss had done the same in her bed, the girl's own crimson eyes narrowing accusingly at her. "Ruby!" she snarled with surprising fervor for someone who had just woken up. "What are you doing!"

Truth be told, she had no idea. She had been having the most pleasant dream about sharing a bed with Jaune. It had been a rude awakening, both figuratively and literally, to discover that it was Weiss who she was cuddling.

"I... I..." she struggled to say.

Luckily she would not have to come up with an explanation, as the strong sensation of fear once more got her attention. The way Weiss looked over to the door told her that she felt it too.

A girlish scream all but confirmed their suspicions.

"What was that?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know, but let's go!"

Ruby bolted to her feet and rushed through the door as fast as her legs would carry her. Looking around, she saw that she had just come out of Weiss' own dorm room. How or why she was inside of it was a mystery to the redhead, but those were questions that could be answered later. Right now she knew only one thing for certain.

She had to get back to her own room.

Luckily it was only a few doors down, and in seconds she stood in front of her own wide-open door. What she saw shocked her.

Yang stood inside, and to her surprise, was in fact the only one who was standing. In one normal human arm, she held a comically larger Jaune against her hip like a person might haul a heavy sack of cargo. In her other gigantic monstrous arm, she held the twisted body of Blake. The hybrid girl thrashed about like a cat being forced to take a bath, but she was no match for the raw strength of Yang's Grimm arm. Ruby would have sworn she heard hissing and spatting coming from the other girl.

"Yang?" Ruby asked as the incredulous scene played out before her. "What's going on!"

The blonde girl turned, her eyes locking on to her sister's. "Oh hey, Ruby. I was wondering where you were."

The sudden appearance of her sister must have caused a momentary distraction, and Blake was finally able to break free of the stronger hybrid's grip. The girl leapt up onto the ceiling, and tendrils moved at blindingly fast speeds as she scuttled across it and out of the room. Without her weapon Ruby was in no position to try and bar her path.

Still, that wasn't the most important issue at hand. Rather, it was the boy in her sister's literal hand. Ruby rushed inside her room, grabbing Yang's human arm and pulling on it. "Put him down!" she demanded.

Yang complied, admittedly a little too quickly. Jaune fell unceremoniously to the floor, landing with a soft thud and a soft gasp of pain slipping through his lips. He rolled over and sat up, one hand rubbing the arm he had fallen on to try and ease the pain.

Ruby knelt down beside him, taking one of his hands in her own. "Are you okay?" she asked with concern. "What happened?"

"I felt some major negativity coming from the room," Yang answered in his stead. "For a minute I thought the two of you were having a little fun," she added with a smirk. "But when I walked past I heard Zwei barking, so I decided to investigate. Then I heard the muffled screams coming from inside, and I knew there was no way you could be that kinky. So when I went to take a peek I saw that it was Blake, and not you, who decided to take Jaune on a fun little ride."

Ruby's eyes widened with horror. Blake had... with her bestie...

Her gaze shifted their focus to Jaune, who by now was back to his feet. Fists tightened with anger. This was Blake's doing. Somehow, someway, she had managed to abduct Ruby and place her in Weiss' room. All so that she could...

She lashed out, her Grimm hand smashing a hole in the nearest wall. A vicious and primal roar tore through her throat. How dare someone do that not only to her, but to her friend!

"Oooh I like it when you're angry," Yang cooed. "We might make a proper hybrid of you yet."

"Ruby?" Jaune asked. "Ruby calm down."

The red haze which consumed her vision subsided at the sound of Jaune's voice. The voice at the opposite end of the spectrum. Where Yang encouraged her wrath, he sought to bring her back from it.

"I'm okay," he continued. His words were a relief to the girl. "She didn't do anything. I mean... not that much. She licked me. That's all."

Crimson eyes widened as her head snapped up. She placed her hands on Jaune's shoulders in order to help balance her as she leaned up on the tips of her toes. Her nose moved close to his cheek, and sure enough, it reeked of Blake's stench. Blake had placed her mark on him, and it was as strong and pungent as Ruby would expect from the monstrous hybrid.

She panicked, and what came next happened without thought. Ruby ran her own tongue across Jaune's face where Blake had done the same. The moment she had finished the boy stumbled back a couple steps, and Ruby fell back down to the bottoms of her feet.

Jaune's hand came up to his face, touching where she had licked. His face seemed to darken from a sudden rush of blood to the area. "Ruby? What the- what was that!"

Her own face felt incredibly warm for some reason. "I had to remove her scent from you," she explained. "Someone might think that she's claimed you if you walk around with her scent all day!"

"But won't I have your scent on me now?"

Better her than Blake. "Yeah, well, we're roommates!" she said hurriedly. "It's perfectly normal for roommates to have each other's scents on them! Right, Yang?"

The older girl shrugged. "Yeah sure, why not," she said nonchalantly. She moved toward the door, stopping once she came next to Ruby. Leaning in, she placed her human hand over her sister's ear as she whispered. "Take what's yours."

For the second time in a short span her eyes widened as she looked up at Yang. The blonde merely winked as she strode out of the room, her job here done.

Ruby cleared her throat, unsure what to say now after Yang's suggestion. To claim what was hers. That hadn't been the point of licking him at all! The only thing she had sought to do was to remove Blake's own scent from her best friend and roommate! Not claim him! She had no idea if Jaune even thought about her in such a manner! Just because he had called her beautiful the previous night didn't mean he sought to take her as his mate! It didn't mean that he wanted to form a pack with her!

She shifted uneasily, the silence in the room deafening after Yang's comment. "So... um..."

The chance to continue their conversation never happened, as a new visitor stepped into the doorway. She really needed to close the door.

"What in the world happened in here?" Weiss asked as she stepped inside. She sniffed around before her gaze fell to Jaune. Eyes narrowed dangerously as she took a few steps toward him. "And why do you smell like Ruby!"

"I... um..." Jaune began.

He never had a chance to properly answer as Weiss' nose once more went to work. Sniffing the air, her focus was directed to Ruby next. Her arm lashed out, pointing a finger accusingly at the younger hybrid. "And you!" she shouted. "Why do you smell like Jaune?"

Ruby looked down to the large shirt she wore. The shirt given to her last night by Jaune to sleep in. Complete with his wonderful aroma.

Weiss' face was scrunched in anger as she went on. "What are you two doing alone at night in this room? Why is it that you're the only one here with a roommate anyway? A _male_ roommate at that? Utterly unacceptable! This academy is a place of learning! Not... not... whatever it is you're doing!"

The bombardment of accusations made Ruby shrink underneath their weight. Who would have thought that a girl even smaller than herself could be so ferocious? So terrifying? However, Ruby knew she had to stay strong. She had to follow her sister's advice. She had to take what was hers.

Even if it meant angering the tiny terror who stood before her.

"Weiss, it's exactly what you think..." she began bashfully. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She couldn't believe she was about to say something so brazen. "You see... the two of us have shared a bed. Jaune has even seen me naked."

One of Weiss' eyes twitched. Her teeth bared in anger. She was a pint-sized volcano who was about to erupt.

Clearly Jaune saw this as well, and he promptly stepped in. "Weiss, it's not at all what you think it is," he insisted. "There's a perfectly good explanation for all of that."

Tiny hands moved up to her hips as Weiss stared at him. "Oh really? Do you care to explain them then?"

"Uh, well see... Blake licked me. And then Ruby licked me... Ow!"

Jaune cried out in pain as Weiss lowered her head and stabbed him in the chest with the tip of her horn. He rubbed the spot with his hand trying to sooth it.

"I cannot believe this!" Weiss snarled. "How dare they drag their slimy organs all over my tutor!"

Grabbing him by the hand, Weiss dragged and pulled Jaune out of the room with such force that Ruby thought his arm was about to get torn clean from its socket.

The young girl was left alone in her room, staring out the doorway after her two peers left. It had been such an eventful morning already, and they hadn't even eaten breakfast yet.

* * *

"Weiss! Where are we going!"

The white-haired girl ignored the protests of the boy as she led him down the hall. Back to her own room where they would be able to have a little privacy. Away from prying eyes and ears.

She couldn't believe the audacity of her classmates. Who did they think they were? What right did they have to try and claim Jaune as their own? Did they know nothing? Was there no respect for tradition anymore?

Weiss had defeated him in a horn duel the other day. He had surrendered to her in the kitchen. She had asserted dominance over him. As a result, by all rights and customs, she had the only rightful claim on him. To do with him as she saw fit.

And those... those... savages thought they could erase it all by licking him? At least have the proper decency to challenge her overtly!

Weiss all but threw Jaune into her room before stepping inside and slamming the door behind them. The boy looked terrified, and his wide blue eyes stared at her with concern. He should be concerned! After letting Blake and Ruby do what they did to him, he had a lot to answer for!

"Weiss, you're really making it sound a lot worse than it actually is!" he said hurriedly. "Can't we just talk about this?"

Oh they were going to talk all right. They were going to have a nice, long conversation about his behavior. "Am I, Jaune?" she asked. "Am I really?"

"Yes! I promise you that there's nothing weird going on! It's all just... um... circumstance?"

Red eyes narrowed on him. "Oh really? Then why is it that Ruby reeks of your scent?"

"What? She does?"

"Yes! Am I to believe that the two of you don't share a bed at night?"

"Only a few nights ago!" Jaune winced as soon as the words left his mouth.

Weiss pointed a finger in the direction of his and Ruby's room. "Then why does she smell like you right now!"

"Oh. Um. Oh!" His eyes lit up with sudden realization. "She's wearing the shirt I gave her."

The shirt he gave her. He gave Ruby a piece of his property, but not herself? Unacceptable! "You gave her a gift? I want one too!"

His head shook wildly. "It's not a gift. It's so I wouldn't keep seeing her naked."

Right. There was that little detail that she had momentarily forgotten about in the heat of the moment. How or why he kept seeing Ruby without clothes was a mystery to her, but it also raised more questions. Did Ruby see him naked? How often? What did he look like? And most importantly, why would he share this with Ruby and not her?

"And why exactly do you keep seeing her naked?"

"Because wearing clothes isn't a big deal," he answered. She couldn't believe that was his excuse. "Right?"

"Are you stupid?" she snapped.

"What are you talking about? I thought Ruby didn't understand that sort of thing."

Judging by his reaction, he was. It wasn't some lie he had come up with on the spot. It wasn't some clever ruse. No, you actually had to be clever to do that. Jaune honestly seemed to believe his own words.

"You blithering idiot..." she growled. "She's _always_ had an understanding of modesty! We're not ignorant children raised in the woods! She and her bone-headed cretin of a sister only 'forget' to wear clothes sometimes to show off! Nothing more, nothing less."

Jaune blinked. His lips parted more than once to speak, but wound up saying nothing. Yes, he truly did not appear to be lying. He really was just that stupid. Or gullible. Or both. It was probably how he got roped into being Ruby's roommate in the first place. She had probably told him that everyone here in the academy had roommates. Yet here she was, the only hybrid to have one.

"But she's always stripping down when it's time for bed..."

When it was time for bed. When they would be lying down in bed. _Together_ , if what was said earlier was true. Was the boy really so dense? Ruby showed off her body for him. She slept in the same bed as him. She would have been surprised if the words 'mate with me' hadn't been spoken at least once.

Weiss shook her head in disbelief. "Did you ever think it's because she _wants_ you to look?"

"...really?"

His reaction once more told him that the thought had never crossed his mind. Weiss couldn't believe this. How could one of the strongest hybrids in the school be so stupid? How was he so intelligent when it came to matters of humanity, but so lacking when it came to common sense?

It was as if he was so consumed by his human facade that he no longer even understood proper Grimm hybrid culture at all. And while that may have been a positive for the infiltration of human kingdoms, it made him stand out as a fool while still here in Salem's realm.

Clearly she would just have to spend more time with him. Not only to remind him that she was the dominant one in their relationship, but to keep Ruby from sinking her claws into him. The fact that the two of them shared a room would make things a bit more difficult, but she had ways around that. Weiss was nothing if not intelligent and resourceful.

It would begin right now. It was still early in the morning, and they had plenty of time before classes begun. Therefore it was time for their newfound morning routine together. Breakfast.

She poked him in the arm once more, earning his attention, along with a small yelp. "Now make me food. I'm hungry."

Jaune rubbed his arm again. Weiss felt an enormous sense of satisfaction inside at the display. Clearly he knew just who was in control here. He knew that she was able to harm him. That she was dominant. Therefore he would do as she said.

"Yeah, sure," he said as he moved toward the door.

Weiss was filled with confidence and pride as she followed after him. He knew his place. Ruby would soon need to know hers as well. Preening and holding her singular horn high, Weiss smiled.

* * *

Ruby wasn't happy to see her bestie following the very short lead of Weiss, though why she couldn't quite place. The wrong kind of ache filled her chest at the sight is all she could say. That didn't matter now though, she had made Jaune a promise. It was time again for Professor Callows' class, and she promised Jaune front row seats! Rushing in, she grabbed hold of Jaune's arm. Weiss turned on her heel to face the younger girl.

"What do you think you're doing!"

Ruby laughed. "I made a promise to my friend. So, little Miss Unicorn," Ruby rested her skeletal, clawed hand on Weiss' arm, her eyes glowing. "Let's not get hysterical about it."

Weiss looked down at the appendage on her arm, then up at Jaune. Her gaze lazily drifted over the crowd. "Whatever." Easily knocking Ruby's hand away, Weiss grabbed Jaune's arm. "Let's go."

Ruby, a smile tightening ever so slightly on her face at the action, nodded. "Let's."

Jaune blinked. "Weiss, are you okay?"

Weiss shook her head. "Shut up. Your cooking just made me tired."

Jaune looked back at Ruby who only shrugged. His cooking? Ruby made a mental note to see what that meant. That didn't matter though, now it was time to find their seats! Unfortunately the only opening below were two spots, with the third taken up by the burly trenchcoat wearing Wesson. He was hunched forward as usual, and while Ruby couldn't blame him too much, he took up too much room. Weiss, it seemed, noticed the same.

Stomping down, Jaune still firmly in her armlock, she pointed at the trenchcoat wearing Hybrid with her free hand. "You! Move! We require three seats!"

"Uh, only if you're okay with that, she means," Jaune tried to add, until Weiss's elbow jammed directly into his ribs.

Wesson's head rose, looking the three up and down. Ruby wasn't sure which of his ten eyes lingered on her, but she found she was never sure what exactly Wesson was looking at. His smaller, cheek born eyes took her in as she hugged Jaune's arm closer to her chest. His higher, forehead eyes watched Weiss redouble her death grip on Jaune's other arm. His primary eyes lingered on Jaune himself, who looked uncomfortable. Weiss must have been holding him too hard!

Wesson rose, one of the tallest Hybrids in the school, definitely the widest. His coat shuffled as he tipped his hat at the trio. "Sorry bud. I'll remember you as a hero and a scholar."

Weiss fumed when Jaune let out a nervous chuckle. Ruby's head tilted. Weird loner, that Wesson. He moved a few seats up to sit with his usual cohorts, Cardin, Sky and Brawnz, much to their complaints. Whatever, they didn't matter! Ruby eagerly joined Weiss and Jaune in sitting, Yang awaiting her opponent in the arena as was normal. Ruby's grin grew. Today, Jaune would learn.

"What gives!"

Yang's impatience was rising, Ruby noticing her sister flexing more than usual. Tyrian was sitting to the side, an unknowable smirk on his features. Frowning, Ruby looked around. Tyrian wasn't asking for volunteers, which was strange. Yang herself was becoming disgruntled, her giant hand digging deep grooves into the ground as she flexed it into a fist and back.

"Come on teach, get me someone to mutilate!"

Jaune flinched, drawing Ruby's attention. He must have been so excited! He did look worried though, but she chalked it up to confusion. What was-

"What is that lunatic doing?"

Ruby looked passed Jaune to see Weiss leaning forward. "He never takes this long to start class. It's the whole reason the over inflated sow even goes first. Let's her have the showers to herself after and use up all the hot water."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous that she has a better body than you."

Weiss made a noise of dismissal. "There is nothing to be jealous of on that cretin. Saggy breasts, overly muscular body, disproportionate arm, and don't even get me started on her poor excuse for a posterior. Some people, when seeking a proper mate, prefer better used flesh, over the excess of such. Isn't that right, Jaune?"

Jaune went stock still. Ruby glared up at him.

"You think my sister is plenty attractive, right Jaune?" Ruby rested her smaller horn against his shoulder. "Right, Jaune?"

Jaune's eyes darted between the two girls, sweat building. Looking past him, Ruby spied Weiss digging the edge of her horn into his neck. Just enough to add pressure.

"Match, begin."

Tyrian's voice was soft. Very, very soft. Ruby could barely register it over the loud bang that tore through the air immediately after. Ruby's eyes widened as, following like thunder after the lightning bolt, Yang cried out in pain. Her attention snapped to the arena floor, Yang's neck nearly torn open by a powerful blow. A thin channel was tore across the side of her neck, just an inch from tearing her throat out.

Yet what had caused it remained out of sight. Black ichor flowed from the wound, Yang clutching at it, confusion and anger burning in her eyes.

"I got here first this time, blondie."

A voice that Ruby could not see. One she had heard a few times before. The cycloptic hybrid, May. The sniper. Ruby looked around, trying to find her.

Another explosion.

Another gunshot, another howl of pain as Yang fell to one knee. Her leg this time, skin and muscle was torn down to the bone.

"You're going to pay, you blonde bitch!"

Yang threw her head back. "What did I do to you!"

Ruby winced when that terrible noise fired off again, Yang nearly blown onto her back as her shoulder was pierced straight through. This time, Yang did not cry out. Ruby watched, fear rising. Yang couldn't lose like this, this wasn't fair! How could Professor Callows allow such an awful thing to happen!

The realization hit Ruby harder than any of the bullets had Yang. Of course Tyrian would allow this set up.

"You killed Roy! All he did was bump into you and insult your hair and you crushed him against the ground! You fucking whore, he was my mate! He was my mate and I am going to take every pound of flesh from you that I can!" May's voice echoed across the arena, louder and louder.

If Ruby had been watching her big sister, she would have seen the small smirk that crossed her features.

"Now die!"

In an instant, Yang's Grimm arm snapped up, blocking the finishing blow. Ruby's eyes flicked up to where the blast had come from, spotting, just a moment, a hint of smoke. Smoke that Yang threw herself towards, her great limb grabbing hold of the stone and lunging herself. Another gunshot, this one panicked, did nothing but tear another wound through Yang's leg. Said leg that then smashed into the invisible May's torso, black blood spraying out over May's face and upper body.

May cried out, equally from the shock, the pain of the blow, and from getting Yang's blood in her eye. Eye being singular. One eye had shrunken away, bone closing up and flesh fusing over it, to make room for her central eye. It was still slightly off center, but so large that most did not notice it. Her smoky pink hair revealed itself as the illusion dropped. The great gun that was built into her spine and swung over her shoulder tried desperately to get a point blank angle on Yang.

Tried and failed, Yang seizing the weapon with her Grimm arm. Crushing the weapon in her hand, she lifted May up with her human hand. Yang smiled at the younger Hybrid before bringing her head crashing into May's face, smashing her nose and crushing her upper jaw. Tossing May, the smaller girl landed with a hard thud.

Yet unlike Dove before her, she was still alive. Still conscious. May scrambled away as Yang landed fist-first where she had been. Yang dusted herself off, wounds spitting blackened blood as they filled with a healing puss and scabbed over. May, cursing, drew a small hand axe from her belt, lunging at Yang.

At Yang who then caught the handle of the weapon with her chain, freeing it from May's grip. Yang returned it to May, who brought her right arm up to defend from the strike. An arm she lost half of, Yang driving it straight through and into May's shoulder. May, eye stained with Yang's blood, dropped to her knees.

"Invisibility? What, did you steal some contraption from Watts? Such a little bitch." Yang took hold of the organic gun, which was trying desperately to fix itself. "I think I owe my sister something for managing to get the good seats. You mind helping me with that? I didn't think so."

Yang lifted May up with her human hand turning her back towards Ruby, Jaune and Weiss. Ruby watched, excited for what would come next. Gripping it tighter, Yang pulled the gun to the side, tearing it away from May's body- along with most of her spine. Blood and more sprayed across the battlefield, across the bleachers, soaking the trio. Even Weiss didn't grumble much, despite preferring to keep clean. Ruby whooped and hollered in excitement as the spray of blood finally came to an end, trying to get as much as she could in her mouth. Some marrow was mixed with it, giving it an extra kick you just normally couldn't find elsewhere.

Ruby was clapping so hard she only now realized she had lost her grip on Jaune's arm. Looking at him, Ruby discovered just why Weiss wasn't making as much of a fuss. She had dragged Jaune in front of herself to act as a human shield, largely protecting her from the spray. As a consequence, Jaune's front side was almost totally black, bits of bone and marrow stuck in the thickening liquid. He was so happy that his mouth was kept totally shut so he didn't lap up any of the blood, and he was exuding wonderful, mouth-watering feelings. Lucky!

Yang really was too good for her.

Dropping May's twitching body, Yang only stopped briefly to glare at Tyrian, who merely grinned maniacally at her. Then she continued on her way to the showers.

Tyrian stepped out into the arena as the Beowolves dragged away what remained. He seemed oddly quiet today, as if anticipating something. His gaze turned towards the main trio. "Master Jaune, if you would please come on down. Unless," he leaned forward a touch, his tail emerging. "You are feeling ill?"

Jaune silently stood, Weiss having shoved him to the side once the spray had finished. She was busy fussing over what had managed to get on her outfit now, Ruby watching Jaune descend into the Arena. But, he wasn't going to try to fight in his human form, right?

Not even she would fight other hybrids in her human form.

Jaune took his place, looking...unsteady. Dazed, maybe. It was strange. Sure, he wasn't normally the strongest looking person ever, but now he just looked, scared? Maybe? Ruby frowned. Still, he wasn't shifting into his true form. Tyrian's smile grew as he scanned the bleachers.

"Now for your opponent, I was thinking, how about young Mistress..."

"I'll fight him."

Ruby looked back, the familiar voice rumbling. Wesson was standing, completely blocking Cardin's view of things. His coat twitched visibly.

"I've been meaning to stretch."

Professor Callows seemed to comically deflate at this until perking up. "Very well. Death Gun the Death Gunner, come and face Jaune!"

A small ripple of laughter tore through the audience at Wesson's 'nickname' given to him by their most esteemed teacher. Wesson lowered his head, grumbling some as he passed by Ruby. Shedding his coat, his true form was revealed. Across his back was what would appear to be a human sized Death Stalker, fused to his spine. Its many legs latched onto his own sides, its tail nestled against the back of his head. Only, at the end of every Grimm limb, was an artificial attachment.

Ruby remembered vividly how Wesson had been mauled by Blake. He had approached her at the urging of Brawnz. Next Ruby had seen him, all of his appendages had been sheared in half, losing all of his claws. Even his stinger had been torn away from him. It was a miracle he had survived at all. Yet, hybrids were hardy, and Watts equipped him with a series of firearms, one for each of his eight extra limbs and a final hidden cannon built into his tail.

Jaune watched his enemy take his stance with an impressive amount of concentration. If Ruby didn't know better, she'd say he was terrified beyond all rational thought. That couldn't be it though, Jaune had to be way stronger than Wesson! Something Wesson seemed to agree with.

Crossing his normal arms, Wesson glared at Jaune with five of his ten eyes. "Do you really think you can take me with those shitty second-rate human weapons?" Each of his side arms extended, guns readying. "Let me show you just how wrong you are."

Jaune extended his shield just as Wesson opened fire on him. Eight shots simultaneously struck the metal of Jaune's expanding cover. Eight shots failed to so much as budge the shield. Wesson tilted his head. Not a scratch.

Wesson unleashed a barrage of fire power, each and every shot aimed directly for Jaune's shield. To Wesson's credit, Ruby realized that each shot hit exactly where he wanted. To his detriment, that was the center mass of the shield. Ruby wondered why Wesson was so worked up on attacking this one point. Jaune wasn't moving his shield at all to match the attack, nor did he have to.

Then Ruby realized the problem. Wesson was thinking like a Grimm. Attack one spot until it breaks or you do. Wesson had an issue of overly relying on instinct when fighting, due to his unique Grimm graft that Salem blessed him with. Maybe that would work on Grimm armor or stone, but against hardened huntsman metals?

Wesson wouldn't break that shield in a thousand years of trying.

Jaune bent at the knee, still blocking the shots. He seemed unsure of how to approach, unsure how to attack. Ruby reasoned that he must not have been used to fighting in his human form. Wesson's guns, one by one, clicked dry. Jaune moved, rushing forward screaming. For all the world, he sounded like a scared teenager, afraid for his very life. Never mind how good that made her feel, that was an extremely convincing battle cry!

Wesson met his blade with two of his augmented arms, pushing back against Jaune's shield with his two regular limbs. A consequence of Wesson's design was a simple matter of him being unable to reload in active combat. Yet Ruby knew, Wesson was one of the physically strongest of the school, meaning Jaune had given up all of his advantages to take the fight to where it would best suit Wesson. If it had been anyone else, Ruby would have thought they would be an idiot to attack so recklessly. Jaune was so brave!

Wesson's tail rose up, detaching from his back. The glint of metal was nearly hidden where he once had a stinger attached, Jaune too close to get away even if he had noticed. A burst of pure dust fueled energy fired off, blasting Jaune point black in the face. Ruby bit back a scream as Jaune disappeared in an explosive cloud. His body went flying out a few seconds later, skipping across the ground before slamming into the far wall. Ruby couldn't bear to look, sure that her best friend had just had his head blown off.

"By Salem, he truly is powerful."

Ruby looked to her left, seeing Weiss staring in shock at the arena. Ruby looked back, seeing Jaune already standing back up. An angry welt was all the damage he had taken, just along his cheek. The young man began to chuckle to himself, the entire room growing deathly silent. Wesson tore his way out of the smoke cloud, eyes burning red.

"What's so funny, Jaune!"

Jaune seemed almost hysterical.

"It's, it's not you. It's really not. It's just, after getting hit by Salem, I was...I don't know?" Jaune's laughter doubled, tears running down his face. "Expecting worse? Don't even get me started on Blake! She nearly had me dead to rights before I broke free last night and this morning, gods, that was so much worse!"

Wesson, if it was at all possible for a hybrid, seemed to pale. Backing away, he turned to Tyrian. "I concede."

Faster than Ruby had ever seen Wesson move, the Hybrid leapt back into the stands, grabbing up his garments and huddled into a dark corner to reload his weapons. Ruby could have sworn he heard something about 'cats will eat me' as he passed, but she couldn't be sure.

Tyrian blinked before his laughter out stripped Jaune's own.

"The victory goes to Master Jaune!" He turned to Jaune, a proud smile on his face. "You may go to the showers now, young man. You truly have earned it this day."

As Jaune stumbled away, Weiss remarked, "Taking an attack like that in his disguise, that's quite the feat. Remarkable in fact."

Ruby smiled. "He sure is."

Weiss glared at Ruby. "What's that supposed to mean!"

* * *

Jaune sighed as the hot water of the shower washed over him, the blood and ichor from the 'splash zone' rinsing away. Jaune had never been more thankful as he looked at the sterile white tile of the shower stall around him. It was just so normal. He half expected the showers to be some kind hideous snake monster that spewed blood and toilets to be Grimm with the worse job description in the history of Remnant. But it was a completely normal bathroom. And it gave Jaune the peace of mind he needed.

"Well if you're here I guess that means you did a good job out there," the familiar voice of Yang called from behind him. "Sorry I got you all dirty."

He froze he could practically feel her standing behind him. What was she even doing in here?

"Speaking of dirty," Yang's voice drifted closer. "What have you and Ruby been up to?"

"What? Nothing! We haven't done anything I swear!" Jaune panicked turning to face his accuser. "Ruby and me…"

Jaune words stopped as he registered the sight before him. Luscious blonde hair and soft lilac eyes had replaced the faded white and glowing red of Yang's usual appearance. Her pale skin was now slightly tan. This was Yang's human form. Voluptuous, curvaceous and hot were apt descriptions, and here she was dripping wet and completely naked.

Not more than a foot away from him.

And yet despite all of her undeniable beauty, Jaune couldn't help but let his mind wander to what could have been. This was what Yang would have looked like if she hadn't been abducted by Salem at some earlier point in her life. She would have been another normal young woman like Weiss. Like Ruby. Even like Blake. But her chance at life had been stolen from her by that evil witch.

He hated Salem for that. He hated her with all his being.

A light tap on the shoulder stirred him from his thoughts. "Hey, Jaune. Keep your head in the game. You might make a girl feel self conscious if you zone out while she's standing in front of you naked."

She was right. The pure sexuality radiating from Yang had taken a backseat to her own tragic circumstances. But now that she had mentioned it, it was all he could think about. He turned his head to avoid staring at her undeniably attractive body.

"What are you doing in here!" Jaune backed away from her and right into the wall. He held a small washcloth in front of him. The only defense his modesty had left.

"Just wanted to talk," she shrugged, inching closer. "About you and Ruby."

"Look if this is about us rooming together, I can assure you nothing's happened."

"Really?" Yang's eyes narrowed. "And why not? My sister not good enough for you?"

"What no Ruby's great it's just..."

"Oh I get it now," she smirked. "You're afraid she can't take it."

"Come again?"

"You're the strongest male in the school, and Ruby sunk her claws into you quickly. Well, I've never been prouder. Thought she'd never succumb to her baser instincts." Her hands slammed into the wall on either side of him, in a moment of pure fear the washcloth slipped from his grasp, falling to the ground with a wet plop. "But you, Mr. Perfect, you're always so controlled, strong enough to fight in even your human form." She leaned in closer her chest pressing against his own. "Imagine how strong your Grimm form is. You're afraid she'll break."

Jaune's mouth flopped open like a fish, unable to process words at the moment.

"That's what it is, isn't it?" Her eyes turned red, a predatory look coming over her face. "But don't worry big guy. I can handle it. It can't be healthy suppressing your Grimm form all the time." Yang's hands moved to his shoulders, gripping them tightly. "Come on, Jaune. Do it. Unleash the beast, I can take it. Take it all day if I have to," she practically snarled into his ear.

Dawning realization broke through Jaune's stupefied mind. She wanted to see his Grimm form, and possibly crack his pelvis at the same time.

"I... I can't," Jaune began, he looked around the room in panic hoping to come up with an answer. That was when he remembered a conversation he had had with his sister Saphron months ago, when a giant Grimm had threatened to destroy their town. It had been called… "Leviathan!" he said the word as soon as he thought it. "I'm part Leviathan, if I changed form I wouldn't even fit in the school."

"Oh a big boy, huh?" she chuckled pulling back from him her eyes traveled downwards. "Then again I shouldn't be surprised."

Curse his body for betraying him again, it's like it didn't care that these girls could tear him apart in an instant, or maybe it did and Jaune sure as hell wasn't ready to tackle what that could possibly mean about his psyche.

"Well looks like your lower horn is primed and ready to charge," Yang snickered, still blatantly staring at him. "Want to give it a target?" she winked.

"What? No I can't… it's just I hardly know you and..."

She backed away from him. "Oh I get it. You're one of those guys looking for a _Mate_ instead of a mate."

Jaune wasn't sure what the difference was supposed to be, but he would take any out he could get. "Yeah you got me."

"That's a shame, and here I was hoping to gauge your strength for myself. But a Mate is more Ruby's scene."

"Yep. It sure is." Jaune was just saying words at this point, he had no idea what the conversation was about anymore, but if it got the monstrously strong girl away from him he would say anything.

"Oh well," she shrugged. "But maybe you should go see Ruby after this. Be a shame to waste such a lovely horn." She turned away from him. "But if you ever change your mind, you know where my room is." She then walked away from him, her hips swaying exaggeratedly.

Jaune stood there in stunned silence as he watched her go. When he was sure she was gone he reached over to the shower and turned the handle.

Ice cold water washed over him...

* * *

 **Author's Note:** As always, my sincerest thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for their continued help and support in this collaboration. Speaking of Lightning, go check out his story **Chasing Gold** , which he just updated today!

Oh Wesson, Wesson, Wesson... this character exists due to a little goof up in chapter 1. Grimm hybrids don't have surnames, but we accidentally had Yang refer to Cardin as "Winchester". This gave Burkion the idea of creating a fodder gunslinging OC named "Winchester" to be killed off at some point. But we figured the name might cause confusion since it's also Cardin's last name, so it was changed to Wesson. He was made into the edgiest edgelord of an OC ever, wearing a trenchcoat and taking that lame nickname "Death Gun" from Sword Art Online.

Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. Fluff, horror, and action. Growing feelings. New realizations. All that good stuff.

Thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 7

Loathe as he was to admit it, Jaune had fallen into a routine at Grimm Academy. He had never expected to grow even remotely comfortable here. Much less comfortable sleeping next to a girl.

Yet here he was.

Jaune awoke with a familiar weight on his chest. Since the latest Blake incident, Jaune had relented and agreed to let Ruby share a bed with him in order to keep the more monstrous girl at bay. Somehow, someway, it was working. Blake had not made a return appearance to their dorm. She had not abducted his roommate from her bed in order to slither under his sheets with him. Why exactly, he could not say. Did it really have to do with scents? Or would Ruby simply be more prone to being woken up if she was forcefully pried from his arms?

He couldn't say. All he knew was that this arrangement was far better than the alternative.

Yet there were still times where he could not help but feel that he was being watched as he and Ruby lay in the darkness.

Not now though. Here in the morning, in the purple-red daylight filtering in through the window, Jaune was doing the watching. Ruby was still sound asleep, curled up against his body protectively with her head resting on his chest. He knew that she was only doing it to protect him from Blake, and yet... there was something inherently romantic about their position. Like what Blake had attempted to do with him several days ago, only where she had failed, Ruby was succeeding.

Looking down at her, the young hybrid looked so peaceful in her sleep. The soft features of her face were more apparent in her relaxed state. Her eyes were closed, and the absence of her glowing red orbs made her seem more human without even trying. There was even a small sliver of drool hanging from her open mouth that threatened to spill down onto his chest. He had to admit, here in this moment, in this light, she was pretty cute. Horns and all.

Checking the time, he saw that there was still an hour before classes began. There was no need to wake her up just yet. Even as she shifted slightly in his arms, she remained asleep. It was a wonder her horns hadn't poked him as she moved. Just one advantage of him being so tall, and her being so short.

A curious sound came from the sleeping hybrid's lips, and Jaune couldn't help but smile. She was mumbling something in her sleep. Dreaming about something. He wondered what hybrids dreamed about. Killing humans? Devouring raw meat?

The train of thought was driven from his mind when Ruby finally mumbled an intelligible word. "...dad..."

Jaune's heart skipped a beat. Dad. She had just said dad. Did that mean she was dreaming about her father? About her past? He knew that the hybrids considered Salem to be their mother, but the idea of a father figure had never been spoken of before. Or at least none of the girls, nor Salem herself, had ever mentioned one.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune brought his lips close to the girl's ear. "Dad?" he uttered softly. "Who's your dad?"

The question prompted more muttering. More dream speak he couldn't make out. Until another real words passed her lips. "...cookies..."

Dad and cookies. Two words so random, so unrelated, and yet... so human. Here in her unconscious state, Ruby seemed so human. More so than she ever had before.

Over the past couple of weeks Jaune had learned a lot about all of the hybrids he had befriended. Despite their bestial nature, each possessed a plethora of strange personality quirks that he could only describe as human. The sweet and caring Ruby. The proud and envious Weiss. The brazen and carefree Yang. Even Blake, the most monstrous of them all, had twisted ideas of love and sex in her mind. All of these traits were distinctly human. Feelings that a mere Beowolf or Death Stalker could never possess.

Maybe... maybe if he could somehow nurture those sides of them, they might remember who they were. Maybe their minds were not lost to the primal rage and bloodlust that being a Grimm hybrid seemed to bring. Maybe teaching them to be more human was exactly what they needed. To remind them of what they once were.

Ruby stirred again, this time lifting her head as she woke up. Crimson eyes opened to look up at him. She blinked several times, as if trying to chase away the last remnants of sleep from her mind. "Jaune?"

Only then did he realize that he had been caught staring at her as she slept. His gaze averted immediately, looking over to the wall in front of their beds. "Oh. Hey there, Ruby."

Her head returned to his chest. "Is it time for school?"

Again, it was such a human thing to ask. Like a child who didn't want to go to school in the morning. Only Ruby couldn't fake being sick in order to get out of it like a normal person might be able to. Illness had consequences here.

"Not yet," he told her. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at his words. "Did you have a nice dream?"

Ruby lifted her head again, and her eyes regarded him curiously. "Huh?"

Jaune's body shivered. What if he was wrong? What if hybrids didn't dream? What if he had just revealed himself as a fraud? "Oh, I, um..."

"I don't remember, honestly," she said as he stumbled for an explanation. "Why?"

He breathed his own sigh of relief. "No reason. Just wondering."

She hummed, returning to her previous position. It dawned on Jaune that despite no longer being asleep, and despite no longer needing protection from Blake, Ruby still hadn't moved. She still hadn't vacated his bed. And most of all, she still hadn't released her grip on his body.

He should probably do something about that.

Jaune moved to sit up, forcibly removing Ruby's arms from him, and prompting her to sit up with him. Their legs were still underneath the covers, but he could see that she was clad in the shirt he had given her to sleep in. He was thankful for small things like that. He couldn't imagine how his body would have reacted to a naked Ruby cuddling with him at night. Or how she might react to his body's reaction.

Ruby yawned, stretching her arms high above her head, and reminding Jaune that she still possessed a terrifying skeletal black arm. Her head tilted back and forth, eliciting several satisfying cracks. A soft moan of satisfaction slipped through her lips with those movements, making Jaune swallow hard. Why did she have to make those kinds of noises while in bed with him!

Her gaze snapped to him an instant later with sudden focus and intensity. "So what do you wanna do now?"

 _Not get turned on by monster girls,_ his mind answered silently. "Uh... I dunno. Anything you want to talk about?"

Her jaw scrunched up in thought as red eyes drifted up to the ceiling. "Mmm. Not really. Why?"

He had hoped that she might mention something about her father. Or anything involving the dream she couldn't remember. Anything to open up the door to her more human side. However it seemed as though there was nothing on her mind that she felt was worth discussing.

The sudden pounding on the door earned both of their attentions, as they turned to the source of the sound. Speaking of routines, it was time for another one.

Weiss was undoubtedly on the other side, ready for him to accompany her to the kitchen in order to make breakfast. Ever since the first time it had become their 'thing'. Their morning routine. Since discovering human food, Weiss had developed quite an appetite for it. Like she could no longer tolerate the typical Grimm hybrid cuisine. He wondered if the girl would have been so demanding had she been fully human.

Slipping out of the warm bed, Jaune's bare feet hit the floor and sent chills through his body. He wanted nothing more than to crawl back underneath the covers, but he knew that an angry Weiss was bad news for him. It was bad news for his body which would be on the receiving end of a flurry of pokes from Weiss' sharp horn.

Jaune opened the door to reveal the short girl, whose hands pressed down firmly on her hips. "About time," she said impatiently.

It had only taken him a few seconds, and she was acting like he was late for some appointment. He made no comment however, not wanting to earn the girl's ire. "I guess you're hungry?" he mused.

"Quite famished." Her eyes stared past him into the room, and he saw how a slight frown formed on her lips before she looked back up at him. "I've brought a special fresh ingredient to cook today," she said as she held up simple brown paper bag.

Jaune couldn't guess the contents of the bag, but he was surprised Weiss was showing such initiative. Then again they had been cooking together for some time, and she was already showing signs of improvement. He wondered what she had in mind for this morning.

Light footsteps from behind him indicated that Ruby had finally left the comforts of their bed as well. She stood behind him, grabbing onto his shoulder to peer around his body. "Oh, what's that?" she asked, looking at the bag in Weiss' hand.

"Breakfast," Weiss said simply. " _My_ breakfast."

Nails dug deep into Jaune's shoulder, and he winced in pain as he looked over to Ruby. There was jealousy on her face, clear as day. "Can I come? I'm hungry too."

Weiss snorted dismissively. "I think you may find yourself overmatched in the culinary arts, Ruby," she stated with no small trace of arrogance. "Speaking as someone with great experience, it takes a certain level of skill in order to cook a proper human meal."

 _This coming from the girl who crushed an egg in her hand the first time she cooked..._ Jaune thought.

As he looked into Ruby's disappointed eyes an idea struck him. "I think you coming with is a great idea, Ruby."

Red eyes turned hopeful. "Really?"

A second pair narrowed at him in response. "Excuse me?"

"Y-yeah!" he said nervously, expecting the worst from Weiss. "Because you know, we should all know how to prepare human food, right? That's what we're here at this school for. To learn to be more human."

He wasn't even lying. He _did_ want the girls to learn to be more human. However, it was not for the benefit of Salem's plans. No, he wanted this in order to remind them of their humanity. To foster that side of them that maybe still existed somewhere deep inside them. He would gladly use any excuse he could find in order to help in that cause.

His cold logic earned an even colder glare from Weiss, who seemingly had nothing to say in response to his argument. As the most studious of the hybrids, she could not say that it was a bad idea.

Ruby on the other hand squealed with excitement. "Yes! Let me just get dressed!"

She didn't even blink at the fact that Jaune was still in the room, and the door was still open as she begun lifting his oversized shirt over her head. Jaune did the only decent thing he could think of, and stepped outside to join Weiss before pulling the door shut.

The silence was deafening as he stood in the hall with the tiny hybrid. However, he could feel the anger radiating from Weiss. The girl beside him was fuming, and it was only a matter of time until she unleashed her wrath in a series of horn pecks.

Surprisingly, they never came as she spoke. "Why is _she_ coming?" she asked bitterly.

Her tone was surprising. It wasn't simply anger in her tone. No, the emotion was far more complex. Like something he might have heard from one of his sisters when they argued in a spat of jealousy. It was so very... human.

"To learn to cook," he explained. He knew that his answer did not address Weiss' true concern, but he decided to feign ignorance nonetheless.

"Cooking is supposed to be _our_ thing."

There was no mistaking it. Weiss was absolutely jealous. Upset that Ruby was moving in on their perceived territory. Jaune felt terrible about making her feel this way, but at the same time such emotions were too complex to be those of a simple, mindless Grimm. Complex emotions were undeniably human. If he could make Weiss feel them, then that could only be a good thing. Right?

"I'm not a fan of the two of you being alone together every night and morning," she continued. "What gives her the right to monopolize your free time like that?"

"Well, we're roommates. It's normal to be together after school hours."

"And that's not fair. Where is it written that only Ruby is allowed a roommate?"

Jealousy may have been a green-eyed monster, but right now it could be more accurately described as red-eyed. "What, did you want to be our roommate too?"

"I suppose if you insist then I have no choice," she said a little bit too quickly. "Someone has to keep an eye on the two of you in order to ensure that no funny business is going on."

The speed at which Weiss not only answered his question, but took it to an entirely different level, shocked Jaune. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Of course. After all, there's plenty of space. With a bunk bed Ruby can sleep in her top spot, while I can share your bed. I'm small enough to fit beside you quite comfortably."

And now she was propositioning him to share his bed? Jealousy might have been an understatement in describing Weiss. "Actually Ruby's the one who shares my-" He never finished his sentence before Weiss lowered her head and stabbed him in the sternum with all her might. Jaune recoiled, falling back against the wall with a pained cry leaving his lips. "Ow! What was that for!"

"If I must duel her for the right then I will!" she snarled. "However you would do well to remember your place in our relationship! If I say I want something, you have no other choice than but to give it to me!"

Jaune had no idea what she was talking about, but all he knew was that he did not want to be on the receiving end of Weiss' horn. "Okay! I'm sorry!"

Weiss stood straight, her haughty attitude on full display as she peered up at him. "Good."

He rubbed his chest, wishing more than ever that he was wearing his breastplate. If he was to spend time around Weiss, he should probably wear it at all times. He should probably just invest in a full suit of armor considering how often he was assaulted by the hybrid's aggressive horn.

He'd have to ask a teacher if acquiring such an item might even be possible. Hazel, maybe. Hazel seemed like a decent enough guy. One who knew his secret and didn't seem to care. The man had even offered him advice when he didn't need to.

The door opened back up, revealing Ruby in her normal short black dress. She looked happy beyond belief as she stepped outside, causing Weiss to take a few steps away from her.

"Ready!" she shouted cheerfully.

A glance over to Weiss showed her still scowling at the other girl. It may not have been the perfect situation, but it was better this way. Maybe he could even try to smooth over whatever conflict the two had with each other. Ruby had once said how none of the other students could stand her, for whatever reason. Perhaps he could help her acquire second friend. If the three of them really were going to become roommates, a friendship between Ruby and Weiss would be absolutely necessary.

* * *

"Stand aside, Ruby," Weiss stated confidently as the trio entered the kitchen. "And watch how an experienced chef performs."

Jaune watched as the white-haired hybrid went over to the large walk-in refrigerator. Moments later she reemerged with a carton of eggs. She continued to mimic the actions he had taught her all those days ago. Weiss was a fast learner, and if there was one thing about her that he knew was absolutely true, it was that she loved to learn. Weiss had an insatiable curiosity out of her desire to be the very best. To be the top student in this academy.

The frying pan was set on the stove. To her credit, Weiss no longer crushed the eggs in her fist before letting the debris fall into the pan. No, she cracked each with one swift, firm strike before dumping the yolk and white in.

Meanwhile Ruby stood in rapt awe as she watched the other girl work. This was her first time in the kitchen after all, and had probably never even seen food cooked before. At least, not in her Grimm hybrid form.

The thought pained Jaune. Ruby likely would have had memories of her parents cooking for her as a child. Memories stolen from her by that vile, evil, despicable... creature. After what Salem had done to the students of this academy he could not even consider her to be like the other hybrids. He couldn't think of her as once being human. Her humanity must have left her entirely long ago.

A soft nudge to his side brought him out of his thoughts, and he turned to see Ruby looking up at him. "Is she making enough for all of us?"

Judging by the amount of eggs Weiss had cracked, probably. Unless the girls had truly voracious appetites, that was. "Yeah," he guessed. "I think so."

A tiny smile slipped on the redhead's face. "I can't wait. Real life human food. This is so exciting."

Fried eggs were exciting. It really was adorable how such a simple pleasure made the girl react. He tried to focus on that aspect of her being, rather than the sad truth about what she had become.

A glance over to Weiss showed that she had finished her preparations, and the eggs were now cooking. "Did you see that, Ruby?" she asked with a satisfied look on her face. One of her hands moved to her chest. "This is how a true master prepares for breakfast. I was taught by the most knowledgeable student in our class, and it's only a matter of time until I surpass him due to my inherently superior abilities."

Ruby shifted uncomfortably at his side. While Weiss had indeed made great strides in her knowledge and experience, there was no reason to rub it in the other girl's face.

"Most of it is common sense, honestly," Weiss continued as she took a few steps toward them. "I probably could have figured it out on my own had I had the inclination, but my free time is so precious and spent learning other aspects of human life that I simply hadn't gotten to cooking yet."

The pan behind Weiss began to smoke heavily. The scent of burning food filled Jaune's nostrils. The harsh sound of sizzling eggs indicated that they were starting to burn. He stared past her to look at the impending disaster. Yet, he did nothing.

"You should be thanking him, as well as me for allowing you to join us in our morning routine." The contents of the pan behind her burst into flames. "You may even learn a thing or two from the experience, and perhaps be able to prepare your own human cuisine. Eggs are a relatively simple dish, and nearly impossible to mess up. I imagine a novice like you would think to include the shells in order to boost the nutritional content of the dish, however that line of thinking is most incorrect."

What she failed to mention was that it was _her_ initial thought as well.

Jaune sighed, deciding that this had gone on for long enough. Any more and it could become a fire hazard. The last thing he needed was to get banned from the kitchen due to setting it on fire. Even if Weiss was the one who did it.

Jaune moved past the shorter girl and grabbed a metal lid to fit over the pan. He turned off the flame of the stove before covering the frying pan and extinguishing the fire. Crisis averted. Even if it seemed that neither girl realized it.

As if to prove his thought true, Ruby rushed up next to him. "So is it done?"

He removed the lid to see slightly blackened, but indeed cooked eggs. He faced her and shrugged. "Yeah. They're done."

A wide grin erupted on her face. "Yay! Gimmie!" she shouted as she nearly attacked the eggs with a nearby fork she had picked up. She was stopped in her tracks by Weiss before connecting.

"What are you doing?" Weiss asked.

"Um... eating?"

"Not yet," she chastised with a wag of her finger. "The eggs need seasoning first."

"Seasoning?"

"Salt, you dolt!" Weiss exclaimed. "A mineral from the ground used to enhance the flavor of human foods. Honestly, what have they been teaching you in this school if not something as simple as that?"

"Says the girl who ate a handful of it her first time..." Jaune muttered.

Weiss whirled around to face him. "Excuse me?"

Her narrowed red eyes promised the threat of a horn poking should he antagonize her any more. Jaune knew better than to invite such aggression.

"Uh... nothing..."

A smug smile graced her lips. "As I thought. Now," she said as she grabbed the salt shaker. She applied a conservative dose to the eggs. "We may eat."

Weiss divided the food onto three separate plates. As soon as she had finished the mood changed entirely. Like feeding time for a tank of piranhas.

Jaune watched as the two girls devoured the contents of their plates, using forks to shovel the eggs into their mouths. As it turned out you could replace the raw meat with cooked human food, but those animalistic instincts remained intact.

Perhaps that would have to be their next private lesson. Proper eating etiquette.

It amazed him just how much they could eat, and how quickly they could do it. The feeding frenzy put competitions between he and his sisters to shame.

Their plates were empty in a matter of seconds. Truthfully, it was impressive. "I had no idea you two could eat so much," he admitted. "Are your insides hollow or something?"

Ruby turned around in a flash. "You leave my fully functioning womb out of this!"

Jaune blinked. "...what?"

"What?" she asked innocently.

Did she really not see anything wrong with what she had just said? Or rather, screamed? "Why did you have to mention that? Or that it was fully functioning?"

"Just so that we would be clear!" she insisted.

Clear on the fact that her womb was fully functional? "Yeah but why tho-"

"For research purposes!"

Jaune's lips twitched, moving as if to speak, but no words came. How could he respond to such a random statement with anything coherent? He may as well have responded with 'moose', and it would have made as much sense as Ruby's outburst.

He flinched when he felt the tip of Weiss' horn drag along his back. Not poking him, but merely letting him know that she was there. That she was behind him. The horn continued to rise, applying a gentle pressure until it reached between his shoulder blades.

"Just so we're clear, my womb is also fully functional," Weiss said softly.

Jaune turned to see the familiar accusatory eyes of Weiss staring up at him. "I'll... keep that in mind?"

She lightly smacked his shoulder with the broad side of her horn. "Fresh!"

Fresh? What in the world was she talking about? Unless...

"Weiss, was that slang? How do you even understand human slang?"

A soft, musical laugh sung through her lips. Something so beautiful coming from a Grimm hybrid sounded out of place. Yet it was only another reminder of what she had once been.

"I have been studying, Jaune," she explained. "Human idioms and social customs are almost completely in my grasp. I'll bet you don't even know what worth a faunus once had in the eyes of the law."

What worth they had? What was she- oh no.

Blue eyes widened. "Weiss, please don't."

"Three-fourths of a human," she stated proudly.

Great. Just casually bring up past faunus slavery like that. That wasn't awkward at all. But Jaune had to remind himself that to the hybrids, such speech wouldn't be socially taboo. To Weiss it was just raw information that she prided herself in knowing.

"Actually, in the eyes of the law a faunus only counted as three-fifths of a person," another voice said. All three students turned to the source of the sound. Peeking her head through the door to the kitchen, Blake stood there staring at them. She sighed dreamily. "Those were the good old days..."

"...how long have you even been there?" Jaune asked.

A long slimy tongue came out to lick her lips. "Long enough."

"Blake, leave!" Weiss shouted as she took a step toward the hybrid in a huff.

Like a shadow, Blake slunk away back out the door. Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was another encounter with her.

"Thank you, Weiss," he said genuinely.

"I'm merely protecting what is mine," she replied. Hers? What was she talking about?

"I would have too!" Ruby chimed in, moving to stand on the other side of him.

Jaune looked back and forth between the two girls. Were they talking about their breakfast or something?

Weiss moved to the counter and grabbed the paper bag she had brought with her. She held it up for Jaune to see. "In return, you may teach me how to prepare this dish."

That must have been what she was referring to. Jaune's curiosity was piqued. "Oh? You have something in mind for lunch?"

She nodded. "Yes. I believe it will make a most excellent meal if prepared in the human tradition."

Weiss reached in, and to Jaune's shock and horror, produced the dead body of a rabbit. Still fully intact. Like it had just been caught this morning.

He felt bile rising in his throat. He had no idea why he was surprised that Weiss had brought him a rabbit. After spending a couple of weeks here at this school, such a thing should have been expected by now.

"I... um..." he started. He had no idea how to properly skin and prepare a rabbit for food. He had experience in cooking and camping, but not _that_ much experience.

She returned it to its bag and handed it to him. "Is there a problem?"

Jaune took it, gripping the folded top tightly in his fingers. "How about we wait on something that's so... advanced? Oh I have an idea. Have you ever had steak?"

Weiss blinked. "Steak?"

"You'll love it. And we have some in the freezer too!" He regarded the bag in his hands. "Rabbit can wait for another day. Besides, it's so small that there wouldn't even be enough for you after seeing how you eat today."

"What's that supposed to mean!"

He winced. "Uh... nothing! Nothing at all!" He looked at the bag again. "So, yeah. Let's just go with the steak idea."

Tossing the bag toward the garbage, he expected to hear the dull thump as it entered the bin.

It never came.

Instead, a cracking noise thundered in the room, made by a very particular whip. Against his better judgment, Jaune looked back to see that Blake had skewered the bag with her barbed tentacle in mid-air.

Eyeing him as only she could, Blake slid her mask down with her other tentacle in a way that was probably meant to be sensual. Winking, she tore the dead animal in half with one bite. Bones and organs crushed together in her hideous maw, fangs tearing flesh and letting blood flow freely.

She gave him what he suspected was a smile.

Luckily for him, his gaze on Blake was broken when he felt something poke his side. For the first time ever, he felt happy that Weiss had attacked him with her horn.

"Stop staring," she ordered. "My face is much more elegant anyway."

Jaune laughed incredulously. "You know what, Weiss? It really is. You have no idea how elegant you look right now."

The girl smiled smugly, closing her eyes as she took a haughty breath.

"Let's... get out of here," he said to the two girls who were currently not munching on the rabbit.

Weiss and Ruby followed him out of the kitchen. While his sanctuary had been compromised by Blake, he was happy to have the other two hybrids around to protect him. He was happy to have Ruby as his roommate. He wondered if Weiss really was serious about joining them.

It couldn't hurt to have another hybrid to help keep Blake away, right?

* * *

Human traditions and customs were strange. Very strange.

Professor Fall's class was usually packed full of useful information. How to infiltrate human society. How to behave in public settings. How to speak an act in personal relationships with other humans. However, today's class was introducing a whole new set of rules. A whole new set of customs.

Romance.

"Love and romance are cornerstones of human society," the dark-haired professor said as she stood before the class. "It is human to love one another. It comes in many forms. The way a parent loves their child, and vice versa. The way friends or comrades in arms care for one another. And, perhaps the one that will be most useful for all of you, the way a person loves their partner. Their significant other. Boyfriend or girlfriend. Husband or wife."

The idea of mating for life with a single partner was an interesting one. It also seemed counterproductive. Ruby wondered what the point of courtship even was. If the end goal was to procreate, why not just mate and be done with it? Why not take multiple mates in order to maximize the efficiency of producing offspring? If humans thought like that, the population boom and subsequent increased size of their military force would pose a clear and present danger to the dominance that Grimm held over their continents.

"When infiltrating the kingdoms of man, romance is a powerful tool at your disposal," Cinder continued. "Especially for the females among you. Men are physically powerful, but weak when it comes to matters of the flesh. It's all too easy to push them in the right direction when given the proper motivation..."

Their teacher sounded like she was speaking from experience. Ruby had no idea if Professor Fall actually did seduce people or not, but it wouldn't surprise her if she did. Cinder had an absolutely beautiful body by human standards, and a pretty young face to match. Her dark, sultry tone invoked mystery and danger, and was sure to pique the curiosity of many men and women alike who she set her sights on.

"Now to start out I will require a demonstration from two volunteers." Ruby looked around, wondering if anyone would be willing to raise their hands to participate. A handful of students did in fact muster the courage to do so. Ruby herself was not one of them. Luckily for her, and unluckily for the prospective volunteers, Cinder had seemingly already made up her mind. At least she thought she was lucky until the two names were mentioned. "Would Weiss and Jaune please step to the front of the class."

A cold chill ran through her body as the boy next to her stood up, albeit slowly, and began to make his way to the front. Weiss, who had been sitting on his other side, was with him.

Ruby's hand shot up. Cinder nodded to her. "Yes, Ruby?"

"Um, Professor Fall, what exactly are they going to be demonstrating?"

A sly smile slipped on the older woman's lips. "As I said earlier, romance is an integral part of human society. One of the most common and important ways this emotion is built is through a process called 'dating'."

Dating? What in the world was that? Did it have anything to do with that small table and pair of chairs sitting at the front of the class?

"Therefore, Weiss and Jaune will participated in a simulated date together, and demonstrate how two humans interact when they share romantic feelings for one another. This will be the first in a series of lessons, which will ultimately culminate in the upcoming school dance."

Ruby's hands squeezed into fists underneath her desk. She had no idea why, but the idea of seeing Jaune and Weiss together in an intimate human scenario made her stomach churn.

Her hand raised again, but this time she did not wait to be called on before speaking. "Professor Fall," she said curtly. "Don't you think this is the sort of thing he should be doing with his roommate? And not some... some... stranger?"

The comment earned Weiss' attention as she looked back up into the student seating. "Excuse me? I'll have you know that I spend time with Jaune every morning. I'm hardly a stranger. In fact, the two of us participate in personal, one on one activities probably more regularly than he does with you."

The words hurt Ruby more than they should have. So what if she and Jaune made breakfast together every morning? That hardly made them closer than he was with his bestie and roomie.

"Oh yeah?" Ruby countered. "Well I'll have you know that I sleep with him every night! So there!" To add insult to injury, Ruby stuck her tongue out mockingly at the white-haired hybrid.

Weiss' eyes narrowed dangerously at Ruby. The tension in the air was palpable. If they happened to come to blows later over the comment, then so be it! She would gladly take Weiss on in order to put her in her place.

"Oh my," Cinder said amusedly, looking over to where Jaune was standing next to the table. "It seems as though you are at quite an advanced... stage in your relationship with Ruby."

For whatever reason Jaune looked pale. Maybe it was the lighting. "It's not what you think..." he said softly.

Cinder waved off his comment. "Regardless, your wonderful chemistry with Weiss will suffice for this demonstration. "Please, take a seat across from her."

He nodded and did as he was told, and sat across from the other hybrid. Weiss appeared to be supremely confident in whatever was going to happen next, with her hands folded atop the table and a knowing smile on her lips. The pale blue eyes of her human form shone in anticipation.

Jaune on the other hand looked uncertain, and Ruby couldn't blame him. She didn't know what was about to happen, but there was no way he would be able to enjoy himself with... with... _Weiss_! It should have been _her_ instead! They were best friends! If anyone should be performing some sort of intimate activity with Jaune, it should have been his best friend!

"Now, the scenario is that the two of you are out on a romantic date at a restaurant," Cinder explained. "It is one of the most common settings for two prospective romantic partners to get to know one another and see if they have chemistry together. Typical topics of discussion include amusing stories from their pasts, prospective goals and dreams, personal interests, and complimenting each other. Why don't you two begin by broaching one of these subjects?"

Ruby watched in rapt attention as the two sat across from one another. Her heart was thumping in her chest as her hands squeezed down on the edge of her desk.

Ever one to take the lead, Weiss spoke first. "Jaune. Your strong and thick neck tells me that you would be a capable hunter and provider for our young. I wish to provide you with many children so that we may do our best in bringing Salem's plans to fruition."

Nails dug into wood.

"Very bold of you, Weiss," Cinder said as she took a few steps toward the table, halting the scenario in the process. "But too bold. Discussing plans to have children on a first date will be sure to scare any man away." Burning golden eyes turned to Jaune. "Jaune, perhaps you might be able to steer the conversation in a more... subtle direction?"

Ruby's eyes focused on the boy now. The boy who Weiss had just said should be the father of her children.

Cracks began to form in the wood.

Jaune shifted uncomfortably before looking back up at Weiss. "You look beautiful tonight, Weiss," he said softly. "Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are like a pair of sapphires?"

A loud crunch filled the room as Ruby snapped a portion of her desktop off the rest of it. It must have earned the attention of her sister, who nudged her with her left shoulder. "Whoa, Ruby," she whispered. "What's got you so jealous?"

Jealous? She was not jealous! She merely didn't like to see her best friend being used like this! Like some sort of tool! Who cares if he said that Weiss' exotic blue eyes looked beautiful! She had silver eyes in her human form! Those looked beautiful too!

Maybe she should show them to Jaune more often...

"Oh... you... like them?" Weiss said bashfully. Uncharacteristically so.

"Yeah," he admitted. Jaune was showing how truly advanced he was in this sort of human behavior, for everything about his performance seemed genuine. From his words, to his tone, to his facial expressions. His emotions were so pure and utterly human right now. "And with your white hair, the only thing I can think to call you right now is Snow Angel. Might sound kinda cheesy, but..."

Snow Angel? That wasn't fair! He had never given her a nickname before! She would just have to convince him to do so. Ruby would have to come up with one for him as well.

Weiss looked off to the side. "Oh. Thank you, Jaune. And you... you are quite tall. That is an appealing trait to possess."

"Very good," Cinder said, once more stepping toward the two hybrids. "What Jaune has done here is earn affection from Weiss by complimenting her appearance. Not in an overtly sexual way by discussing something like her bust or backside, but rather with her eyes and hair. Women do enjoy being complimented on their looks, but only if done so in a way that does not make them feel like objects or trophies to be won. The hair and eyes are safe and effective ways to tell a woman that she is beautiful without objectifying her." She turned to the girl sitting at the table. "Weiss, how do you feel right now?"

The girl's attention was still focused on Jaune as she spoke. "Strange. My heart rate has increased dramatically, and my face is warm as if all of my blood is rushing to it."

Cinder chuckled darkly. "Quite the lady's man we have here, then," she said as she glanced over to Jaune. "It would appear that this demonstration has taken far less time than I anticipated. Now that mutual attraction has been established, I feel the two of you are ready for the next step."

"Next step?" Jaune asked nervously.

"Indeed. I would like you and Weiss to kiss."

Ruby leaned in. What was kissing?

"Kiss?" Weiss asked, as if reading Ruby's own thoughts. "What is that?"

"Kiss?" Jaune echoed, his tone indicating disbelief. Ruby wondered if he knew what kissing was.

"A physical gesture of affection that humans share," she explained. "When two people care for each other, they will press their lips together intimately."

Ruby felt as though she was about to break her desk in two now. No. Absolutely not. Weiss and Jaune couldn't do... that!

"Mouths are for feeding," Weiss argued. "What an absurd concept."

"Oh trust me," Cinder said amusedly. "Mouths are for far more than just eating. Humans find quite a few other uses for them, especially when it comes to physical intimacy."

"Really?" Weiss' eyes turned to Jaune. "Show me!"

"W-what?" the boy gasped.

Weiss leaned in across the table. "You heard Professor Fall. Press your lips against mine in a show of intimacy! Hurry up now!"

Jaune looked worriedly over to the professor, who merely nodded in approval. The boy seemed worried, and swallowed hard as he too leaned in across the table.

Ruby watched with bated breath. Jaune was going to kiss Weiss. It bothered her for some reason. Weiss wasn't the one he should be kissing! If anyone, it should be... it should be...

"Ow!"

Jaune yelped and pulled back in a flash, his hand coming up to grab his mouth. "You bit me!"

"Is that not what kissing is?" Weiss asked. "What else am I supposed to do to your lips with my mouth if not bite them? Am I not to assert dominance?"

In that moment all of Ruby's anxiety vanished in a heartbeat, and was replaced by laughter. Weiss had done it wrong, and she had done so in front of the whole class. Jaune's reaction was proof enough of that. Bloody lip and all. Maybe Weiss' chemistry with Jaune wasn't so strong after all.

"Perhaps we should hold off on this exercise..." Cinder said with a sigh.

Yes. Yes they should. After all, Jaune had no reason to be kissing Weiss.

The demonstration did give Ruby an idea, however. If kissing was something that humans did, then she too would need practice at it. Especially if she did not want to mimic Weiss' mistakes. It just so happened that Ruby had the perfect partner as her roommate. One who was apparently knowledgeable in the act.

Maybe then he would give her a cute nickname and compliment her eyes too...

* * *

 **Author's Note:** If you're a fan of this story, then maybe you'd be interested in a **Lancaster** story featuring **vampire Ruby**! If this idea sounds appealing to you, then go check out my latest one shot, **Red Like Roses? Gross!**

With that shameless self-promotion out of the way, I hope you liked this latest chapter. Lots of pure fluff, with some important little tidbits thrown in for the future. And of course, budding romance! Even if the girls don't know what that is yet.

As always, thank you all so much for your continued support. I truly do appreciate it. And my thanks as always go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for all of their help.


	8. Chapter 8

This was probably the most atypical class Jaune had yet attended. There was combat in it, to a degree, but not with one another and only in their human forms. There was only one person they were intended to attack, but unlike with Tyrian's bloody arena, Yang was not front and center. That person stood at the center of the room, large arms crossed. Their teacher, Professor Rainart, who had spent more time sighing to himself than Jaune could recall any teacher before him. Besides his kindergarten teacher when one of his classmates had asked why and how Jaune had so many sisters...

Yet while this was some kind of defense class, Jaune quickly caught on that it was more than that. All of the hybrids that he could see had gone to different corners of the room, twisting their bodies into something that looked like meditation poses. At least, as much as some of them could. Cardin settled with resting with his fists planted on the ground like a gorilla, Wesson's jacket poofed out, writhing as his many limbs struggled to get comfortable. Another male hybrid, Brawnz, leaned against the wall instead, the intricate metal working around and through his legs leaving him unable to sit down properly.

Yang on the other hand didn't seem to care about proper etiquette. While she was more than physically capable of resting with her legs crossed, she chose to put all of her weight on her Grimm arm. Weiss was a picture of lady-like mannerisms, perfectly mimicking the ideal stance in sharp contrast to Ruby. Ruby had her legs spread wide, arms behind her and leaning back, like a kid basking in the sun. Jaune found himself between the two, uncomfortably trying to get his legs to bend the right way. Blake was not visibly present, but Jaune had no doubt that the creature waited still.

"Why are we here?"

Jaune's attention snapped to Hazel, his low rumbling voice suddenly snapping his attention forward. Weiss immediately rose her hand, eliciting a tired nod from the older man.

"That's one of life's great mysteries. I mean, are we the product of some grand coincidence, or does Salem really watch everything? You know, with a plan for us. I don't know, sir, but it keeps me up at night."

Jaune could not recall when he had seen a flatter stare at another living being in his life. Including the time when one of his fellow classmates had cheerfully piped up 'Because the Arcs can't afford condoms!' to his teacher. Hazel brushed her reply off with another sigh.

"Existential preening aside, I was looking for an answer in the here and now. Why are we here in this classroom?"

"So we can take a nap for an hour and a half?" Yang's voice called out from across the way.

Hazel's glance in her direction betrayed no annoyance or anger. Instead he nodded. "For those of you who seek to only be bloodthirsty monsters, little more than expendable fodder for the strong to use as a stepping stone, that is true."

If Yang had a retort, it was immediately squashed as Hazel continued. "For those of you who seek to uphold Mistress Salem's belief in you, belief in your purpose and future, the answer is different. To come here to embrace that which you believe is without merit. Each of you," his gaze drifted from student to student. "Each of you are hybrids. Children found abandoned or worse, saved by the grace of Salem and made greater than the humanity you had been shackled to. Yet that humanity, though dead and buried deep within you, cannot be cast off. You must embrace it."

Jaune's eyes widened. Was Hazel advocating for the hybrids to actually improve themselves?

"You must take hold of it and control it. It is a powerful weapon and a dangerous tool, and must be treated as such. Otherwise you will never be able to fulfill your purpose in life and infiltrate human society as Salem seeks."

A frown settled on Jaune's face. Was that all he meant? Improve themselves for the good of Salem? Did they deserve no better future?

"All of you, assume your best human form. We will practice unarmed, human combat today."

His eyes widened. "Really?"

Hazel nodded. "A firm grasp of the basics is better than raw instinct."

Yang snorted. "As if."

Hazel glanced back at her. "If you have something to prove, do so. Otherwise return to your nap, child."

Jaune could feel the air grow colder. The hybrids that had been trying to follow his instructions went still. A few moved further away. Jaune took in again the surroundings. The desks were very sparse, kept away from the grand center. It wasn't as large as the arena that Tyrian taught in, but it wasn't a normal teaching stage either. Hazel had his back turned to Yang, the blonde monster fuming.

With a sudden bellow, she leapt at the stage, still in her Grimm form. Twisting black muscle pulled back as she aimed a punch directly for Hazel's back. One that he met with a punch of his own, snapping around in the blink of an eye.

Glaring at the younger girl, Hazel pushed forward. Jaune winced as he saw the meat that made up Yang's arm quiver, an unseen battle for supremacy waging. One that Yang abruptly lost, her arm, and by consequence her body, flung backwards through a set of stone desks into the wall. Jaune had seen Yang take considerable damage from the battle before, but this seemed to throw her more than anything the would-be sniper attempted.

"You let your arm do too much of the work. Your footing is a joke and your form pitiful. Learn how to punch as a human and maybe you'll do better."

Yang let out a grunt of frustration as she uprooted herself. She idly glanced his way, Jaune suddenly recalling their shower encounter the day before. As if in response to that memory, red eyes turned to lilac as a warm tone overtook her skin.

She shrugged. "Had to give it a shot."

Jaune wasn't sure he agreed. Ruby flung herself at his shoulder, silver eyes brimming with light. "Do I look more human yet, Jaune?"

He looked down at the two horned hybrid. Her skin color was better now, her eyes were right. Her arm wasn't quite right though. Of course her horns remained. Smiling, he ruffled her hair.

"Sure do. Just wait 'til those lessons, Ruby. We'll get you up to snuff in no time."

A heel crashing into the side of his head brought his attention into sharp focus, even as pain bloomed through him. Stumbling back, he looked to see Weiss struggling to maintain her posture as she recovered from the impromptu attack.

"What the hell, Weiss!"

Weiss shrugged. "We are supposed to work on our human hand to hand, yes?"

"Feet are not hands!"

Weiss raised an accusatory finger toward Jaune. "False! I have seen the creatures called monkeys and they possess hand-feet! Are humans not a relative to such beasts? I thought as much!"

"...Weiss, humans do not have hand-feet."

"How would you know!" She tossed her wild ponytail over her shoulder, as if this one response had won her the argument.

Jaune sighed. "Weiss, do you have hand-feet?"

"Obviously not. However I have yet to perfect my human guise, so I must clearly be doing something wrong."

He looked her up and down. Weiss, more than any of the other hybrids, had the 'looking human' thing down to a science. Maybe a tiny nub remained where her horn was, otherwise she was a pristine princess carved of snow. He sighed again.

"Weiss, what do you think is wrong with your human form? And no, again, humans do not have hand-feet." Jaune hoped the answer would be sensible.

"She can't make herself grow bigger tits when in disguise."

Yang made her approach known, eschewing subtlety. Jaune winced, waiting for Weiss' backlash. Backlash that did not come. Looking back, Jaune saw a tinge of red on the young girl's face. Noticing his questioning stare, Weiss crossed her arms.

"It wouldn't do to have a human form so similar to my own. I wish to obscure some of my natural perfections with needless faff. Is there an issue with that? I thought not! To be of slim, sleek build is to be of a superior breed! To be of a higher, elite class! This is why I must, nay, need to hide my perfected, beautiful form beneath pounds of worthless, ugly fat! Not because I need it but because it is the only way! What good would a disguise be without disguising, I dare ask? Nothing! Nothing good! Furthermore..."

Ruby nudged Jaune's shoulder. "She's going to be on this for a while."

The boy nodded, stepping away as Weiss ranted to herself.

"Hey Jaune, heads up!"

Jaune activated his Aura on reflex, primed for another sneak attack. Instead a clumsy fist crashed against his body, crumbling into a hurt hand. Ruby let out a whining noise.

"Wow, you're hard as a brick! Dipped in, like, hard stuff! How hard can you be, Jaune?"

Yang slid up next to Jaune, eyeing him with amusement. "Quite hard, little sis. Take it from me. Quite hard indeed."

Ruby squinted between the two. "How would you know that? I never let you two fight!"

Jaune stepped away, raising his hands. "What she means is-"

"I got to see Jaune's secret horn."

He went dead silent, gawking at Yang. Yang had her arms crossed, a shit eating grin on her face. A face that was struggling to keep her natural face holes closed.

"Please don't."

Ruby made a high pitched noise that he wasn't sure was her yelling in surprise or outrage. "You showed her your Grimm form! No fair! That's a besties privilege if ever there was one! I want to see it too!"

"Ruby, please, you really..."

"Show me your secret horn!"

Yang had a grin like a knife. "Yeah Jaune, whip it out." Yang leaned in close, her two horns rapidly regrowing, positioned to squeeze his neck between them just ever so slightly. "You show me yours and I'll show you mine."

The quick kick to her shin by Ruby made Yang back off faster than Jaune would have expected.

"Yang! No beating up Jaune!"

That was a very good rule for Ruby to introduce. He could only hope that Yang would follow it.

Jaune would like to say he learned anything about proper hand to hand techniques that class. He also had been taught at an early age not to lie. Looking around, none of his fellow students seemed to have much of a clue what to do either. A flailing of limbs and misshapen forms, many of them unable to come close to a proper human visage. Weiss was the best at it, naturally as she would say, but without her Grimm form giving her super-human abilities...

She didn't really amount to anything, Jaune realized. None of her strikes were effective so long as he kept his aura up. None of them had aura, which didn't matter as much for their Grimm forms, but seemed to negatively affect them as humans. He grimaced. Could they even unlock aura? Were they still capable?

Yet, these questions didn't matter to Jaune as much. Even though it was more play fighting than actual training, it was rather relaxing. The hybrids would snipe at one another, tempers would flare, only for Hazel to intervene and try to instruct some basic level of human action to them. At one point, while Jaune was avoiding the flailing limbs of Ruby, Hazel stopped beside him.

"Though you have an advantage over them like this, do not forget what they truly are. If you want to get stronger, I would advise you spend some of your free time training. We have facilities for it."

"I wasn't aware of that. Thank you, Professor Rainart."

The man grunted in return, resuming his policing of the class. After this period, Jaune figured that'd be a good way to test his growing muscle mass. Maybe it'd be nice and peaceful, unlike the present chaos?

Unknown to Jaune, a gleam entered Yang's eye.

* * *

Peace. Solitude. Rare commodities in the academy, as Jaune had come to learn.

It wasn't as if he hated his friends. He just wanted a little bit of time to himself.

Jaune shook his head at the thought.

Friends. It was still hard to believe that he had befriended literal monsters. Yet somehow he had. Somehow his mother's words of wisdom had rung true even under the strangest of circumstances. These girls, these onetime strangers, were indeed friends. At least until they found out the truth.

That was why he was here today. It was why he would need to come here every day. To train. To improve. To increase not only his odds of survival, but to increase the perception that he was indeed strong. That he was not merely a squishy human in a world of Grimm hybrids. He had bluffed his way through a fight against the hybrid known as Wesson. But what about next time? What if he fought someone who was stronger? Someone who could reduce him into a red, gooey paste on the floor?

He gripped his sword and shield tightly. He had lasted weeks in this place living a lie. He wasn't about to let that all be for nothing. He wasn't about to give up now.

Neither on himself, nor his friends.

Somehow, someway, he would help them. Sweet, innocent girls who were taken against their will. Corrupted beyond imagining. Reduced to little more than animals in human flesh. If he could just help them remember, if he could maybe make them appreciate their humanity, then maybe, just maybe, they could find their way back from the darkness.

Jaune went through his usual motions that he had learned back home. Back when he had been adamant on becoming a huntsman. Perfecting his stance. His strikes. His form. Each swing and thrust of his heavy ancestral blade would help to build muscle in his arms. Each day would make the sword feel lighter and lighter. His speed would improve. His reflexes would be enhanced. Even without his Aura, he would become a better warrior. One who was capable of standing toe to toe with the monsters which surrounded him. One who would be capable of slaying the true creature of Grimm who infested the landscape.

Every time he imagined the same target. The same woman was the victim of his attacks. Salem. It was always her. No other beast of destruction was quite as despicable as her. The Grimm were mindless in their violent tendencies. The hybrids were victims, unable to control their nature. But Salem? Salem was the worst monster of them all. She had knowingly and willingly ruined lives. Yang's life. Blake's life. Weiss' life.

Sweet, innocent Ruby's life.

The last thought made him lose control, his wild swing striking the stone wall and rending a chunk of concrete from it. The blow did nothing to damage nor dull Crocea Mors. It was a fine blade, forged in a time before the strange and complex weapons of contemporary huntsmen. It was a different breed. A sword that relied on nothing but the strength and sharpness of its edge, rather than fancy transformations or ranged capabilities. It could probably slice through steel without losing its potency.

Had Jaune not been wearing gloves he would have seen his knuckles turned white from gripping the handle so tightly. His breath came out in ragged pants. His fury threatened to overwhelm his waking mind. As much as he hated this place, he could not blame the academy's inhabitants for it. He couldn't even blame the faculty. No, his hatred was reserved for the creature known as Salem. He wanted nothing more than to drive his sword through her stomach and watch her slowly bleed out in front of him.

"I like it."

Jaune whirled around at the sudden sound of a voice behind him. Striding across the room, unbeknownst to him until the moment she had spoken, was Yang. She wore a satisfied grin on her face as her crimson eyes peered at him with anticipation.

"Yang," Jaune said, unknowingly taking a step back from her. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to see you get mad," she smirked, her tongue running across her lips with excitement. "I was hoping that you might lose control, but then you stopped. I'm so disappointed in you, Jaune."

He saw how the fingers of her monstrous arm squeezed and flexed. Her excitement was not restricted to just her eager smile. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Sorry," he said, not quite knowing what he was apologizing for. As she neared him he found himself taking more steps backwards. Until he had finally hit the very wall he had just struck. "Anything I can do to, uh, make up for it?"

Yang's arm moved faster than should have been physically possible for something its size. Her palm slammed up against the wall mere inches away from his head, effectively trapping Jaune in front of the girl's body. "I can think of something," she offered suggestively.

Jaune's mind went back to the locker room a few days ago. When he had seen Yang in her human form. When he had seen _all_ of her human form. She had spoken suggestively then too. About mates, and _mates_. As if there was a difference between them which he was unfamiliar with.

"A-and what's that?" he asked nervously.

White teeth flashed with her eager grin. "Fight me."

He blinked. "What?"

"Fight me," she repeated, somehow more enthusiastic this time. "You're always so restrained. So comfortable in your human form that you might as well be one yourself. So in control." She leaned in, bringing her lips next to his ear. "I want you to lose control," she whispered.

Her breath tickled his skin, sending shivers down his spine. If this had been any other girl in any other situation, it would have oozed with sexual tension. The fact that he had seen her naked body, and that she had suggested casual intimacy with him did not help matters. There was a part of him that wanted nothing more than to have her transform back into her utterly gorgeous human form and take her up on her offer. To take her right here and now. Yet he couldn't. He wasn't the kind of guy to have a casual, meaningless physical relationship. Even if he was, he wasn't sure that she wouldn't crack his pelvis in the process, even with his Aura.

Trapped between Yang's body and her arm, Jaune had nowhere to retreat to. All he could do was shrink under the intimidating girl's gaze. "You know I can't do that..."

Those eager red eyes of hers quickly narrowed. "Why not?" she asked accusingly. Frustration laced her tone. "You think I'm too weak?"

Yang pushed herself away from the wall, and away from him, allowing Jaune some breathing room. He used it, and moved to get some distance between himself and the girl. "No! Of course not!" he argued. "You're probably the strongest hybrid I know!"

She stalked after him, her hands squeezed into fists. "Then what? You don't respect me? You think you're too big for me to take?"

Jaune continued to move back and away from her. Yang continued to pursue. "No! It's not that at all! It's just-"

"Come on, Jaune! I wanna see your Grimm form! I wanna see how big and strong the top student in the class is!"

What else could he say? What other excuse could he come up with? It wasn't that he didn't want to show her his Grimm form. It was simply that it didn't exist. What Yang wanted was impossible, and all Jaune could do was try to convince her of a good reason for why he could not transform.

Apparently she wasn't going to buy his excuses anymore. Not when she had him alone in the arena.

"Can we just talk about this?" he asked desperately. "Maybe we can go to the kitchen and I could make you some-"

He never got a chance to finish his offer before the large, meaty fist of Yang came down like a hammer. It took every ounce of speed and agility Jaune possessed to be able to roll out of the way of the attack. He was back on his feet in an instant, knowing that a follow-up blow could come at any second.

"Yang!" he shouted. "What the heck?"

"You don't think I can handle how big you are?" she snarled. "You're afraid you'll hurt me? Split me in half? Is that it!"

Jaune winced. The poor girl had no idea what she was saying sounded like. It did nothing to help the mental imagery of her beautiful body that was already burned in his mind. "Yang, please stop it with that kind of talk!"

"No! Not until you give it to me! Give it to me hard! With everything you've got!"

He didn't have the time to protest before she swung at him once more. He was able to dodge the attack again, but this time it left a large fissure in the floor. Raw strength had shattered concrete. Jaune was certain it would do far worse to his body, even with his Aura.

The attacks continued, and each time Jaune was forced to evade, lest he be reduced to a bloody, meaty pulp. Each time he was only barely able to avoid being hit, and he honestly wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it up. One thing was for certain, however. He wouldn't be able to win in the long run if he played Yang's game. And violence was her game.

Yang's fist struck like a lightning bolt, and Jaune ducked underneath it just in time before it punched a hole in the wall behind him. He stumbled away again, desperate to put space in between them. "Yang, wait!"

"Why! I can go at it with you all night if I have to! I'll outlast you any night!"

Somehow, Jaune didn't doubt that. In both her intended meaning, and the one that he had in mind.

Still, she hadn't landed a single hit on him yet. Maybe he could use that, and her preconceived notions of him, to his advantage. "Because it's pointless," he bluffed.

Yang gritted her teeth and took a purposeful step forward.

"Yeah," he continued, trying to convince himself as much as he was her. "Look at you. You haven't hit me once, and I'm still in my human form. Do you really think you could beat me if I transformed?"

The blonde was practically seething at his insulting words. "You haven't hit me either," she countered.

True. But then again he wasn't trying to. However, Jaune knew that he probably _couldn't_ even if he wanted to _._ And that was the issue. That was why he had to keep on pretending like he was too strong to go on the offensive.

"I don't need to. You're the one who wants this fight, not me."

For long seconds the pair stood there silently staring at each other. Jaune hoped that Yang would not call his bluff. He hoped against hope that she would believe that he was indeed too strong and too fast for her, and that she would just give up and walk away.

Sadly, Yang was not that kind of girl.

The blonde girl stood up straighter. Out of her fighting stance. "I get it," she said knowingly. "There's no incentive for you."

Her new posture made Jaune relax just a little bit. At least he didn't seem in imminent danger of being attacked. His head tilted curiously. "What?"

"Yeah. This is all for me," she explained. "I want to fight you to see how strong you are. To show you that I'm just as strong, if not stronger. But what do you get out of it? Nothing."

What she said was in fact true. Even if Jaune could transform into a massive Leviathan hybrid, why would he? As Yang said, he got nothing out of this fight. It was all purely for her ego.

"So does that mean it's over?" he asked hopefully.

The grin which had disappeared during their fight reemerged. "Nope. Just means we're gonna change the rules."

He didn't like the sound of that. He didn't like the mischievous look on her face. "What does that mean?"

"It means..." she said as her body began to change. Snow-white skin and black veins turned to a healthy tan. Pale, straw-color blonde hair became brighter and more vibrant. Almost golden in shade. Glowing crimson orbs turned to a calm and gentle lilac. But most importantly, her massive Grimm arm shrunk and morphed into a perfectly normal human arm. "You and me are about to have some real fun."

Jaune swallowed hard. The fact that she had become less scary looking and less dangerous somehow only made him more apprehensive. Yang obviously had a plan in mind. One that involved her human form. Her stunning, beautiful human form.

"I remember how you looked at me in the shower," she said as she sauntered up to him.

"Y-you do?" he asked nervously. It wasn't like it was his fault there had been a gorgeous naked girl standing in front of him. He hadn't meant to stare!

She nodded. "Mmhmm. And here I thought lust was more Blake's thing. But the way your eyes were burning into me... the way they couldn't get enough of me... that was hot."

Jaune was once more put on the defensive as he backed away from Yang's sultry steps. "Yeah, I really shouldn't have been staring. I'm sorry."

A soft, sweet giggle slipped through her lips. "Don't be. Because now I know your weakness. Your incentive."

"My incentive?"

"You need a reason to fight me," she said. "I'm gonna give you one. You liked what you saw, so you and me are gonna do some good old fashioned strip sparring."

Jaune blinked. Had he heard her right? And since when was anything of that nature old fashioned? "Strip sparring?" he questioned.

She nodded again. "Yup. One knockdown equals one piece of clothing. No weapons. No Grimm appendages. Just you, me, and our fists. So how does that sound?"

Truthfully? If he could actually fight, it sounded like the greatest thing ever. Land enough hits on Yang and she'd lose her clothes? It looked like she only wore maybe three pieces of clothing at all. The long stocking on her right leg. A pair of criminally short shorts. And the top that was somehow able to cover up her ample chest, but left little else to the imagination.

He on the other hand wore a complete assortment of human clothes. It would take about ten hits to render him fully nude. Nude, and expected to show her his Grimm form.

"If you win, then you hit the jackpot, big guy," she continued. "You get to see all of me again. I know you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

He wasn't about to lie and say he wouldn't. Instead he chose to dodge the question just as he had dodged everything she had thrown at him so far. "And if you win?"

"If I win I get to see more than just your junk. If I win you're gonna bare all of yourself for me. Grimm form included."

So that was once again her end game. She really was desperate to see his non-existent Grimm form. To see how strong her truly was. Yang was in for a major disappointment should she ever learn the truth.

"You're actually giving me a choice in this?" he asked.

She smiled again. "Nope."

A moment later she was back on the offensive. Only this time with her human fists.

* * *

When Jaune had told her that he wanted to get some private training done in the arena, Ruby had been more than happy to oblige. After all, it wasn't like they were connected at the hip or anything! They were friends. Just friends. Nothing more. Not mates. Certainly not _mates_. Nope. Just roomies and besties. The very best besties that besties could possibly be.

The arrangement also gave her time to do some training of her own. Training that she would have liked to keep private as well. Ruby liked to work on her human form when no one else was around. When no one was there to judge her. No one could laugh at her for not being able to rid herself of those pesky horns. But someday she would! And when she did, she would be perfect. Just as perfect as Jaune. Certainly more perfect than Weiss.

But all of that had been over an hour ago! So where was he!

The redheaded hybrid stalked the halls as she made her way toward the academy's arena. She wondered if he was taking on a whole pack of Beowolves single-handedly. Or Ursai. Or maybe even a fully-grown Death Stalker, if she dare be so bold. After all, he had tamed one of the giant beasts out on his excursion in the Grimmlands. To him such an ordeal must have been more for fun rather than a desperate bid for survival. It was so cool. Ruby hoped to be as strong as he was one day.

She finally reached the arena, where a soft tingle in the back of her mind beckoned her to enter. Something was going on inside, and it drew her to it like a moth to a flame. Wasting little time, Ruby shoved the doors open, and took in the sights and sounds before her.

They were not at all what she had expected to find.

"Get back here!" her sister shouted, chasing after Jaune in her human form.

Jaune was in his human form as usual. More or less.

Why was he wearing nothing but his underwear?

Scattered clothes lay strewn around the arena. Boots. Socks. Pants. A hoodie. Not in a neat pile as she might have expected, but thrown haphazardly around as if done in a hurry.

Ruby blinked, watching in rapt fascination as Yang continued to chase after the boy. The blonde girl swung wildly with her fists, and each time Jaune was only barely able to duck and weave to avoid being hit. Had Yang taken Professor Rainart's earlier words to heart? Was she really trying to rely less on her Grimm arm to win fights?

That still didn't explain why Jaune was almost naked.

It didn't explain why Ruby's body suddenly felt a lot warmer than it had only seconds before.

More fists were thrown. More fists were dodged. Why wasn't Jaune fighting back? Was he afraid of hurting her or something? It was the only explanation she could come up with as to why he wasn't actively trying to hit her sister.

Yang swung again, this Jaune once more stepped back to avoid the blow. Only this time his feet got tangled up underneath him, and Jaune fell to his backside.

The blonde girl took a step back, and she pumped her fist into the air excitedly. "That counts!" she cheered. "And that means you gotta lose the undies!"

Lose his what now? Oh no.

Ruby took purposeful strides into the arena. There was no way, and she meant no way, that she was about to let her sister see Jaune in a state of complete undress. That right was reserved strictly for roommates only!

If Jaune ever decided to let her see such a thing, that was.

"Hey!" Ruby shouted as she neared the duo. "What's going on here?"

Yang swung around to look at her, a wide grin plastered on her face. "Oh hey, Ruby! Jaune and me were just doing a little strip sparring."

Strip sparring? "What does that even mean?"

"Means if you get knocked off your feet, you lose a piece of clothing. And as you can see, Jaune's lacking in that department."

Ruby shifted her focus to regard Jaune. Jaune's mostly nude body. Rippling with muscles in his arms and torso. Swinging that big sword of his around must have done wonders to build the muscle mass on his big, tall, strong, male form...

"So now I get to see everything," Yang said excitedly. "Well, not that I haven't seen _everything_ before, but I get to see his Grimm form."

"You know I still never agreed to that..." he protested.

"Oh yeah? Well then why were you playing along?"

"Maybe because you said if I didn't then you'd forcibly tear my clothes off piece by piece?"

Ruby's gaze shifted between the two blondes each time they spoke. She came to a single and undeniable conclusion. This was utterly unacceptable!

"Hands off!" Ruby squeaked as she stepped in between her sister and friend. "Jaune, get your clothes and go back to our room!"

The boy didn't need to be told twice, and quickly ran off to collect his belongings. Ruby meanwhile stood in front of her older sister, peering up at the taller girl's face.

"It's not smart to stand between me and what I want, little sister," Yang said smugly.

Ruby did not flinch as those lilac eyes burned into her. "Oh yeah? Well, it's not smart to try anything weird with my roommate!"

"Roommate? Or room _mate_?"

The implication made Ruby feel uncomfortable. However, if it meant protecting Jaune from her sister's aggression, it might just be worth it to lie. She could always explain it to Jaune later.

"What if it was the second one?" she asked softly. Saying the words aloud gave her more confidence as she continued. "What if he was my mate? Would you back off if I told you to?"

For long seconds Yang stared down at her. Then she did something Ruby had not expected. The older girl's hand came up, and pat her on top of her head.

"Way to go, sis," she said warmly. Genuinely. "Claimed the strongest guy in the school. I knew you had it in you."

Ruby blushed at those words. As much of a lie as it was, she would gladly tell it if it meant keeping Yang away from Jaune. If it prevented future incidents like this from happening.

"Y-yeah," she agreed. She couldn't just leave it at this. She couldn't let there be any doubt in Yang's mind that Jaune was hers. "We sleep in the same bed. We share our scents. He's mine."

It felt awkward making such a false claim. Yet at the same time, much of what she said was true.

"And what about Weiss?"

Ruby's eyes narrowed. "What _about_ Weiss?"

"Oh nothing," her elder sister said amusedly. "I guess you'll cross that bridge when you get there."

Ruby didn't know anything about bridges, but she knew that Weiss and Jaune were also close. Almost as close as he was with herself.

"Yes, well," she said nervously as she looked back over to Jaune, who by now was wearing his clothes again. "If you'll excuse me, Jaune and me have to go and do roommates stuff together. Room _mate_ stuff together!" she added for extra emphasis.

Ruby turned in a huff, not waiting for Yang's response. As she neared Jaune she latched onto his arm, dragging him behind her as she led him back to their dorm.

* * *

Jaune stepped out of the shower feeling clean and refreshed. His training and subsequent spar with Yang had left him sweaty and exhausted. The cleansing soap and warm water washing over his body had felt like utter bliss. It was the little things in life like this that kept him going here at Grimm Academy.

After dressing himself he stepped back out into his and Ruby's room, ready to start preparing for bed. It would take a little while for his hair to fully dry, so he would still be up for a little while. He hoped it wouldn't be awkward. Ruby had found him and her sister in a less than innocent position. Not that it had been his fault in the first place, so he hoped that his roommate would understand.

The girl in question was sitting on the bottom bunk of their bed. It was unusual, since she was usually perched on her top mattress whenever they were in here together. Her hands were clenched together atop her lap. Red eyes stared down between her legs at the floor. She looked apprehensive for some reason. He hoped that he wasn't the cause of it.

"Ruby?" he asked as he took a seat next to her. "Are you okay?"

Her head rose, and a pair of glowing crimson orbs regarded him. He would never get used to that eerie stare. "Can I ask you something?"

Her tone indicated concern. Uneasiness. Jaune nodded, hoping that whatever she asked, that he would be able to provide an answer that would put her mind at rest. "Yeah. Of course."

"Your, um, spar with Yang earlier," she said. "Did she really beat you that badly?"

Jaune let a breath out. From an outside perspective, and by the rules of the 'match', it did indeed look bad. If they were playing a game of strip sparring, the fact that he had lost most of his clothing did tell the story of him getting thrashed pretty badly.

What Ruby didn't know was that Yang had never even hit him. All of the knockdowns he suffered were from his own faulty footwork as he tried desperately to evade the hybrid's assault. Yet Yang had insisted that since she had caused him to lose his footing, that it still counted as a knockdown. The last thing he was going to do was argue with the creature who could literally tear him in half if she got angry. And as he had seen many times before, Yang had a tendency to get angry.

"No. I fell over a lot. That's all."

Ruby looked up hopefully at him. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"So she never put her hands on you?"

An unusual way to phrase it. "Yup. Never touched me."

The smile which curled on her lips made Jaune feel warm inside too. "Good."

It was an odd thing to get happy about, but Ruby was nothing if not an odd girl. Or an odd hybrid. If such a thing wasn't already redundant. All hybrids were odd in his eyes. Ruby, however, was the oddest of all. Not because of any weird Grimm appendage or personality quirk. But because she was so unusually human with her emotions. For some reason, more than any of the other students he had met, Ruby seemed to just be a normal human girl who merely wore the same skin as the other hybrids. If you took away her odd color palette, horns and Grimm arm, she could easily pass as just another human girl.

Jaune felt a tiny nudge to his arm. Ruby had poked him with her elbow. "Yeah?"

"Hey, Jaune. Do you remember when you and Weiss had to kiss in Professor Fall's class?"

Remember it? His lip certainly did. The girl had briefly drawn blood before his Aura was able to heal the wound. "Uh... yeah."

"What did she do wrong?"

She bit him. But he was certain that explanation wouldn't be good enough for a girl who probably didn't understand what kissing was in the first place. Or its meaning. "Why?"

Ruby shuffled nervously beside him. "I dunno. Just so I won't make the same mistake?"

"Is there someone you plan on kissing?"

"No!" she said hurriedly. "It's for when we infiltrate the human kingdoms. I have to be a good kisser. Or else people might think I'm weird."

Jaune chuckled softly. "Trust me, Ruby. That ship has sailed."

She blinked, her head tilting slightly. "There's a ship? Where?"

He laughed more. She was so innocent. Adorably so. "Nothing," he said amusedly, before moving on to answer her question. "What Weiss did wrong was that she bit me. That simple. You're not supposed to do that."

"Oh. What should she have done?"

Jaune himself was no expert in kissing. It wasn't like he had ever had a girlfriend before. Then again, to someone even less experienced like Ruby, it wasn't as if he could say the wrong thing. She would believe anything he told her.

Still, it wasn't a topic he really wished to broach. "Maybe this is something better left to Professor Fall's class."

"Why? You're good at it," she insisted. "So... can you teach me?"

A shiver ran down Jaune's spine. "You want me to teach you how to... kiss?"

Ruby nodded eagerly. "Well, yeah! If that's okay with you. It'll help me be more human, right?"

Any response he had been preparing to say died in his throat. Instead, he merely echoed two of her own words. "More human..."

"Yeah. Is that weird?"

Everything about this situation was weird. And yet somehow it wasn't even a blip on the radar in comparison to everything else Jaune had experienced at this school. Kissing a pretty girl, even a hybrid like Ruby, was normal and tame compared to battling monsters, eating raw meat, and waking up in the tentacles of a horny shadow creature.

If doing this with Ruby would help her feel more human, if it could maybe help her get in touch with her buried humanity... if it would maybe help her remember those kinds of feelings and emotions...

"You really want me to teach you?" he asked nervously.

She nodded again. "Yeah."

"Even if it needs a, uh, practical demonstration?"

"Yeah," she said softly. Gently. "I wanna know..."

Jaune swallowed. "O-okay. Um... well you're already sitting next to me. So that's a good start!"

His heart was thumping inside his chest. A girl, even if she was a hybrid, wanted to kiss him. Here. Alone. In their room. _Their room_. On the bed they shared. The girl he shared a room with wanted to kiss him on their bed. This should have been the greatest moment of his life.

It was a shame that the moment was about trying to remind Ruby of her humanity, rather than any genuine romance between them.

She was pretty though. She had beautiful, shining silver eyes in her human form. Exotic red-black hair. Pale skin. And somehow, even in her Grimm form, she retained her attractiveness. Even with the horns, the white skin, and the black veins, Ruby was still undeniably pretty. The fact that her personality still shone even in her Grimm form made her all the more attractive...

"Now what...?" she asked.

Her face had come closer to his. His hands were shaking softly. She was so close. He was so close. _They_ were so close to...

"Now, um, tilt your head slightly to the right..." he directed her.

She complied. Her tongue came out to wet her lips. He had no idea if she knew what she was doing, if it had been pure instinct. But the sight of her moist lips only inches away from his own made his breath hitch.

"Close your eyes..."

Ruby did just that. She was primed and ready to go. All he had to do was lean in...

Just as he was about to make contact, Ruby closed the last inch to him. Her lips pressed against his own, taking him by surprise.

For someone who had no idea what she was doing, Ruby was a natural. She didn't bite him like Weiss had. It wasn't a stiff, awkward peck like he might have expected. There was movement in her lips. There was pressure. And dare he say, even passion.

He felt her arm slip around her waist, and his mind was immediately put at ease. This was fine. More than fine, in fact. All of his earlier apprehension was drained from his body entirely.

Until he heard her moan softly inside of his mouth.

Broken from his stupor, Jaune pulled back with wide eyes. With breathless gasps.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly. "Did I do something wrong?"

No. She had done absolutely nothing wrong. The fact that he had lost his breath, and himself in the moment, was proof of that.

"No, you did great, Ruby," he said truthfully. "Really great..."

He had just made out with a girl for the first time in his life. He also knew that if he didn't nip this in the bud right now, that he would want to do so much more than that. Knowing what he knew about Ruby and her... lack of modesty, she would likely be willing to take him up on it too.

His words made Ruby beam with delight. "Really? Am I doing a good job acting human?"

More than she knew. He nodded, a bittersweet smile on his face. "Yeah. You're a great human, Ruby."

He didn't think she could get any happier. He didn't think she could look any prettier than she did right now. But the way she softly brushed the hair out of her face and hooked it around her ear as she smiled filled Jaune's stomach with butterflies. This girl, this monster girl, was his emotional rock in a cruel and unusual world. His closest and truest ally in a place filled with humans and monsters alike that would kill him in the blink of an eye should they ever discover his true nature.

He was falling for this hybrid.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I do love me some Lancaster fluff. Hopefully you do too!

As always, my sincerest thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for their invaluable contributions to this fic.

I want to also thank all the readers for your continued support. This will soon overtake all of my other stories as the most popular. Couldn't have done it without all of you, who continue to inspire me to do my very best.

And of course, I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	9. Chapter 9

Jaune opened his eyes, wondering what had dragged him from the blissful oblivion that was sleep. One thing he noticed immediately was that his usual sleeping partner, one Ruby Rose, was not nestled into his side like usual. At times he would find his arm resting between her horns as she wiggled in closer, clinging to him.

Her absence was worrying. The fact that he still felt warmth, just lower down, more so. Trying to move, he found himself bound to the posts of the bed. He couldn't yell or scream, even as a lump revealed itself to be sitting on his chest. Rising, blankets falling away, was Blake.

Her mask was off, eyes glowing red in the night. Her features seemed more exaggerated somehow, jawline even more extended than normal, ears larger. She looked feral. Drool ran freely as she leaned in close to his face and licked his cheek. Jaune thrashed as she moved further down, shredding his clothing with her teeth.

She disappeared beneath the blankets, and all he could hear was the sound of his own sleeping pants tearing. The blanket rose slightly, crimson eyes looking at him with a hunger that was not carnal, fangs almost glowing white in the darkness.

He shot forward in bed, Ruby yelping. He kept from screaming, but was covered in sweat and panting. Ruby, having been abruptly shoved away, looked at him quizzically.

"Jaune?" she asked, her voice laced with concern. In the dim purple light coming in through the window, her eyes shone a brilliant red.

Just like Blake's had.

A dream. It had all been just a dream. Or rather, a nightmare. One where Blake had been about to do unspeakable things to him with that shark-like maw of hers.

Things which made his legs squeeze together tightly and his body shiver.

"What happened?" the girl next to him continued. "Are you okay?"

Her presence and her warmth was comforting. Ruby was here, and that meant Blake was not. She would protect him from the tentacled fiend. For not the first time since the arrangement had begun, Jaune was happy to have the redheaded hybrid at his side.

"I'm okay," he said softly, laying his head back down against the pillow. He wondered what time it was. It was always hard to tell with the lack of sunlight. "Just a bad dream."

"Bad?" she questioned. "There was enough negativity to wake me up. That sounds like a pretty good dream to me."

Jaune wondered how she could have ever come to this conclusion. Was it perhaps more hybrid logic? The kind of stuff he was assumed to know already, but in reality didn't have a clue about?

Jaune nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Suddenly, their door slammed open. Weiss stood in the entranceway, red eyes glowing in the darkness.

"What are you doing with Jaune!" she shouted accusingly.

Ruby shifted her position on the bed to sit up straighter. "It wasn't me!" she argued. "He was dreaming! It was his brain!"

The hallway's light filtered in through the open door, and Jaune could make out that Weiss had crossed her arms before her. Her foot tapped on the ground in annoyance. "I'm really expected to believe that, Ruby? That his brain could create such powerful negative emotions in his sleep?"

He felt Ruby's arms snake around his body, and she squeezed tightly as she looked back at Weiss. "Doesn't really matter what you believe," she said defiantly. "But I'll handle it from here. Just go back to your own room and let us sleep. Okay?"

Apparently it was still the middle of the night. There was enough time to get back to sleep. That was good. His eyes felt heavy, and he needed every bit of rest in order to get through the average day here at Grimm Academy.

Weiss stood in the doorway, her face contorted with anger as she eyed them. "This isn't over," she snarled before slamming the door shut.

Jaune let out a breath as his head crashed back down on his pillow. His closed his eyes, hoping that he would be able to get back to sleep soon. And that his dreams would not be filled with anymore visions of Blake and her jagged teeth.

Only a couple seconds later he felt a hand gently graze his cheek, and his eyes burst open once more. "Are you feeling okay?" Ruby asked softly.

Somehow her touch did make him feel better. Ruby was such a good friend. A good friend he had kissed. A good friend he had enjoyed kissing...

His anxiety and apprehension evaporated. "I'm fine," he replied just as softly. "Everything's fine."

Ruby hummed happily, her hand moving down from his cheek to his chest as she nestled against him once more in her favorite sleeping position. He had to admit that he liked it too. Sharing a bed with a pretty girl was nothing to protest.

Not that he could protest even if he wanted to. He was tired. "Thanks, Ruby," he said weakly, as weariness once more tugged at his mind.

"Anytime, Jaune," she said sweetly.

It didn't take long at all for sleep to overtake him. Blake must have still been on his mind, however, as in his half-asleep daze he could have sworn he felt a slimy tentacle lovingly caress his cheek. But he was certain that was just Ruby's hand once again. Ruby would protect him. Just as he would protect her.

He would save her.

* * *

Weiss avoided breakfast that morning. It was not that her hunger had abated, no if anything she was more ravenous than was usual. Frustration and a sense of bitter contempt flooded her. Overwhelmed her. He was hers to claim. That Salem-born miscreant had submitted to her absolute will. Yet, this fact did not seem to hold the sway it should.

Instead of fawning over her every action, of holding absolute reverence to her slightest whim, the troglodyte was infatuated with the inferior child. The broken one. It made Weiss' stomach roil, how Ruby flaunted her supposed superiority over Weiss. Despite being her junior!

Such a thing was unacceptable, untenable even! Yet the damned creature, she had her wiles and ways. Her just so stare that reminded Weiss of small fuzzy things that she so wished to eat instead of snuggle. Snuggle was a type of breaking the law, as Weiss had learned, reading the best books she could get from Professor Callows on the subject. Sometimes it was spelled with m's, instead of n's, but human language was often confusing. The exact definition of words wasn't important.

Irregardless of human language and its many failings, of which she had dutifully mastered all the same, Ruby was a problem. Weiss found, beyond general distaste for the girl as a rival and her unfortunate association with the excessively meaty Yang, she did not care about Ruby much one way or the other. The distasteful human quality of the girl's being would not dissuade Weiss as it had many others. Putting up with human nature was something to be expected of a proper, high functioning hybrid of high class and high breeding. And Weiss was the highest of all!

Except the annoyingly tall Jaune. His human form, while lanky and perhaps scraggly, was visually unparalleled. His hand-feet, with all opposable finger-toes and majestic blond hair, must have been quite the sight to see. It was no wonder he so completely fell into Ruby's trap, her natural human-tivity proving too captivating for one as unrefined. Or was he too refined? Weiss' brow furrowed. Could one be too refined?

Against the point! Ruby was claiming with milk and bee fluids what Weiss had fought and dominated for. That was sickening at the face of it but to be confronted with it so often and so totally, to find her rejected from her own self-claimed room!

Weiss was stewing in the corner of Professor Callows' room, Yang on her usual tear. Though she detested the feeling of blood spraying across her face and skin, even Weiss could bathe in the wonderful slaughter that only that particular blonde boulder snuggler brought. Not unlike the semi-frozen cow juices that were vigorously stirred, Yang brought the noise to the floor. Now though, Weiss could not enjoy it. Ruby and Jaune were down below, together. Still together. Where she deserved to be.

So caught up in her ruminations, Weiss did not realize that a small group had converged on her until one of their number spoke. Looking up, she saw Cardin, Brawnz, and Nolan standing around her on the higher bleachers. Wesson was off to the side, watching the shadows intently.

"We've got to chat," Cardin began, arms crossed.

Weiss glared up at him. "No, I don't believe we do."

Nolan chuckled. "If you knew what was best, you'd listen. But of course you don't, you're only good for breeding stock."

Brawnz quickly interjected before Weiss could rise to her feet. "What my idiot subordinate means, we need to consolidate our ranks. Wesson is never going to be able to assume a human form after what she did to him," Brawnz looked behind his shoulder as if fearing that even mentioning the hybrid in question would summon her. "We all know only four of us are going to be chosen by Salem to continue on to our grand mission in Vale."

Cardin sat down above Weiss, glaring past her. "The freak isn't even worth breeding. She's only still alive because she's a parasite to the bigger fish."

Brawnz's smile grew thin. "I'll be taking care of that self-important bitch soon enough. Scores to settle with her, for us all."

Weiss' gaze flicked back to Cardin who tensed up. Something had happened between him and Yang once, though Weiss did not know what. It was curious. Yet at the moment, unimportant.

She looked back to Brawnz. "What are you here for?"

"We need you as our fourth."

Weiss' eyes widened. "Me?"

Nolan nodded. "The new one, Jaune, is just about as much of a freak as _the_ freak. Sure he's all human-y, but he's too far that way. Who can trust a man who doesn't drink some blood and eat some marrow now and then?"

Weiss looked back down to Ruby and Jaune, the two chattering like idiot birds at one another. Cardin's voice picked up again.

"We know that they've betrayed you. We're going to put one of them down. The blonde bull bitch is in the showers now, she won't be there to save her baby sister or her toy."

Nolan grinned. "I'm going next. We've all agreed, none of us are going to go against me. So one of those two will have to. I've got some things in store they won't be expecting. Whichever one it is, I'm going to fuck their face extra hard."

Red eyes narrowed. "Fuck their face? That's a new one."

"I picked it up from a movie. Not quite sure what it means, but it sounded cool."

Weiss tilted her head. "Movie?"

"Ask Tyrian later. Or I could show you some time," Nolan inched closer. "Me and you..."

Weiss glared at Nolan, making the rather unremarkable hybrid back off. "Or not, whatever's cool. Frigid bitch."

She nodded. "I am a cool lady, yes."

Behind her back, Brawnz and Cardin shared a look. Cardin leaned forward. "So you in or not?"

Weiss shrugged. "What they choose to do is on their heads."

Nolan let out a cry of joy, leaping up when Tyrian called out for volunteers. Rushing down into the arena, he blew a kiss back towards Weiss. Weiss' glare settled firmly on his face.

Things in store? As in, things that are unusual, hidden. Deceitful. Ruby, freak though she was, was not the worst hybrid the school had ever produced. No that honor had belonged to the extremely short lived Christopher, who ended up getting himself eaten before actual lessons could begin. Even compared to the three that had come to enlist her, Weiss believed Ruby was a superior choice in most categories.

Jaune was an idiot. A total buffoon. Yet, he was her servant. Her subordinate. Nolan, broken antlered and scrawny as he was, was unpredictable. Weiss knew in a straight fight Jaune could win, but he was so very stupid. He would easily fall for one of Nolan's schemes and be struck down.

If it was Ruby who was killed, Yang would go berserk. She would have to be put down. If it was Ruby also, Jaune may become inconsolable. Crazed by the loss of another human-touched. An improvement that would be, but not one Weiss wished to see. Jaune's softer nature was, if anything, relieving. Interesting. He did not view her as simple breeding material.

Nolan's shit eating grin as he waited for one of the two to challenge him got the better of her. Weiss thrust her hand into the air.

"I will accept his challenge."

The two behind her were incensed. She knew that. Flipping her long hair behind her shoulder, she did not care. "Beg to Salem that whatever he has in his hypothetical stores is enough to make me consider sparing his life."

Nolan glowered at Weiss as the smaller girl arrived, her massive weapon manifesting in her hand. He had very thin arms, very thin legs. From the back of his head, arcing forward around his skull to the front, were two perpetually broken antlers. Like the broken limbs of a dead tree. He was nothing to look at, nothing to worry over.

Weiss smiled.

The two charged each other, Nolan lashing out a kick that Weiss very easily leapt over. The two fought in this fashion for a while. Nolan would attempt to kick or punch Weiss, she would elegantly dance out of his reach. Weiss, growing bored, spun into him, driving her knee into his chest.

The blow floored the hybrid, Weiss feeling bones crack. Yet a crazy grin came to his face as he pulled out a strange bottle. Weiss, too committed to the kneeing, was unable to avoid as the contents of the bottle splashed across her face.

"Take that you uppity, would-be-queen bitch!"

Weiss fell back to the ground, blinking.

Nolan crowed. "That's a dangerous drug humans use! It's employed by powerful predators to ensnare breeding partners who would otherwise resist their superior charms. Just hit your prey with a few of these bad boys and you can do whatever you want with them! They're called roofies!"

Weiss glanced down at the many white pills now scattered all about. She glanced up at Nolan.

"Well?"

Nolan stopped his victory dance. "...Well what?"

"When are they supposed to work?"

Nolan looked confused. "...they aren't?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "In the name of Salem, you don't even know how to use them do you?"

Nolan looked back to Tyrian who was giggling his foolish head off. "Um-"

He abruptly found his legs kicked out from underneath him, the one that took the blow directly breaking in half. Weiss stood over him, staring down at the frail hybrid.

"For the record, I am Weiss, Master of Slang. I know very well what frigid bitch is supposed to mean. And I am quite aware of all the filthy words you have uttered toward me today."

Nolan whimpered. "Please, have-"

His whimpering was cut short by his own screaming, Weiss spearing his good leg with her long black blade. Her head tilted as his blood sprayed up.

"What was it you wanted to happen? To penetrate someone's face? Well, I think I can oblige."

Nolan, ripping his own flesh to get unpinned from the ground, barely moved out of the way as Weiss drove her horn down with crushing power. For all the good it did him as she nearly tore his arm off at the shoulder. Swinging her head back, her hair slapping Nolan as her horn tore a shallow wound across his throat, she tsked to herself.

"I missed."

Nolan feebly tried to stop the second attempt, his arm splitting in half as Weiss' horn ripped flesh and muscle, shattering the bones in its path. The edge of her horn came out through the mangled remains of his arm, piercing him between the eyes. The young man convulsed, drool already beginning to pool from his mouth.

It was over.

Weiss cracked her neck, glaring up at Jaune. The young man looked suitably impressed if nothing else. Afraid? Well he should be. Ignoring the reactions of the rest of her fellows, especially the wild cheers of Ruby, Weiss made her way to the showers. Where Yang would be.

Grimacing, Weiss did not want to have an encounter with that brute just yet.

She also did not want to go back to her room. She felt she had earned something.

Yes, she resolved to herself, she had indeed earned something. Something Ruby would not take from her. Something Jaune would not deny her.

He had seen what she could do if crossed.

* * *

Ruby pushed the door to her room open, and was immediately relieved to step inside. Here in her own private kingdom, she didn't have to deal with the mutterings and stares of other students. Here she wasn't judged by her peers for being different. Before it had been a place of peaceful solitude. Now, however, it was so much more. Now it was a place filled with warmth and companionship.

She had taken quite a liking to that literal warmth, too. The feeling of holding another in her arms, and being held by him in turn.

The redhead felt her face grow hotter as she recalled her 'lessons' with Jaune the previous day. Kissing lessons. An act that humans did to show affection to one another. Weiss had done it incorrectly in Professor Fall's class, but Ruby felt as if she had nailed it. If Jaune's own emotions were anything to go by, she would say that was for certain. She had to admit, it felt nice. Very nice. She would guess that it felt the same for him.

The boy had emitted nothing but positive emotions as his lips were firmly planted on hers. It was strange. She thought that she was the only one who was afflicted with that kind of positivity. Yet Jaune had been emitting it when he was with her. Did it come with the territory of being more human, perhaps? Did all hybrids possess the ability to be positive, and yet none of them were able to harness such feelings? She wished she could ask Salem about this, but being granted an audience with the woman was nigh impossible. Maybe she would simply ask Jaune about it. Or maybe she was just unique, but not in a bad way.

The positivity felt nice. It was _good_. Maybe she was right and everyone else was wrong. Maybe all of the other hybrids were just jealous that they couldn't feel like she could. If Ruby had to choose between how she felt now, and being inherently negative like all the other hybrids, she would pick her current condition in a heartbeat. Now that she had someone else to share her positivity with... it was like nothing she had ever experienced before. It was a feeling she doubted any of her fellow hybrids could ever describe.

Her attention turned to the bathroom, where the faint sound of running water filled her ears. Jaune must have been back from his private nightly training lessons. He had become quite diligent lately, that was for sure. The desire to become stronger was an admirable thing. Most hybrids just inflicted violence for the sake of violence. As a way to blow off steam, or for entertainment. Jaune, however, seemed to want to improve himself. To become the very best he could be. He and Weiss certainly had that in common, but unlike with her, Jaune didn't let it go to his head. No, he was still the same caring guy he had been when they first met.

An idea struck the girl, causing a sly smile to curl on her lips. She wanted to talk to Jaune. He was currently here, in the shower. If she just happened to _accidentally_ walk in on him in the shower, it would be no one's fault, right? After all, she was such a _clumsy_ girl. All she wanted to do was talk! It wasn't a big deal anyway. It wasn't as if he had never seen her naked before. They would just be even now, right?

With a plan in mind, Ruby crept up to the closed door, and pressed her ear against the door. The water was still loud and running, and Ruby knew that he wouldn't be aware of her presence until she revealed herself. And in turn, revealed all of himself.

Laughing mischievously to herself, she grabbed the handle and pushed the door open. The warm damp air hit her as soon as she entered. The curtain was closed. All she had to do was reach out and pull it-

And see the last hybrid she would have ever expected.

"Ah!" the startled cry of Weiss shouted.

Ruby's red eyes widened in shock. "Weiss? What the- what are you doing here?"

"Close the curtain, you idiot!" the other girl shrieked.

It took a moment for her brain to register the words and for her body to follow the command, but close the curtain is exactly what she did. Ruby then rushed out of the bathroom, moving to stand in the middle of the dorm room.

Why was Weiss in her and Jaune's bathroom? In their shower? She had her own room! Unless she had accidentally entered the wrong room? A quick glance around showed that this was not the case. This wasn't another incident of Blake abducting her from her bed and placing her in Weiss' room while she slept. No, this was absolutely her and Jaune's room. Which again begged the question, why was Weiss here!

Time passed by as Ruby stood there in quiet indecision. Should she leave? No, that was foolish! This was her room! No one had the right to make her feel uncomfortable in her own room, much less leave it! No, she would wait until Weiss came out of the bathroom, and then confront her fellow hybrid on just what was going on!

Apprehension filled her as the sound of running water stopped. Muffled sounds inside the bathroom indicated that Weiss was toweling herself off and getting dressed. Any second now, the girl would step outside. And she would be ready.

Ruby squeezed her fists closed, nodding as she pumped herself up. "Okay, Ruby," she said softly. "It's just Weiss. Whatever happens, you stand your ground. This is your territory. Your room. And if she doesn't like it, she can just-"

"Ruby!" the sudden sound of Weiss' voice shouted as the door burst open once more. Ruby jumped back in surprise, a soft yelp slipping past her lips. "What in the world were you thinking? Did you not hear the shower running when you decided to enter?"

The anger in the other girl's voice drove all of her former bravado from her thoughts. So much for that. "I- I thought it was Jaune in there!"

Red eyes narrowed on her, and Weiss' hands moved to rest on her hips. "Is that supposed to make it better? What exactly do the two of you do in here if such an action is considered acceptable?"

It really wasn't. Had Jaune been uncomfortable with the situation, she would have merely played it off as an accident. With Weiss, however, there was no such defense. "Um... well, we..."

"You know what?" Weiss interrupted. "Forget I asked. From now on, things are going to change around here. I will make absolute certain of that."

Change? What right did Weiss have to change anything? The challenge from the other girl filled Ruby with renewed bravery, and she stood up a little straighter as she responded. "What are you doing in here anyway? This isn't your room."

"False!" Weiss snapped, her finger coming up to emphasize the word. "I have decided to grace you with my presence and become your and Jaune's new roommate." Her head moved to throw her still damp hair back over her shoulder. "After all, I need to look after what's mine."

The sheer arrogance of both her words and body language made Ruby's blood boil. What right did she have to come into _her_ room and place a claim on _her_ roommate? This was beyond any level of conceit Weiss had ever displayed before. Did she actually believe what she was saying?

"Yours?" Ruby asked incredulously. "If you haven't noticed already, Jaune is my best friend and roommate. What makes you think that you're closer to him than me?"

"Because I defeated him in a horn duel," Weiss stated matter-of-factly.

The words sent a chill through Ruby's body. No way. There was just no way. "You're lying!" she shouted.

There was absolutely no way Jaune could have been defeated by Weiss. Jaune was one of the strongest, if not the strongest hybrid in the school. The idea of him being defeated by Weiss of all hybrids in a contest of strength and endurance was laughable. And yet, Weiss seemed to believe her own words. She seemed to truly believe she had defeated Jaune in a duel, and thus had a claim on him.

"I am not lying," the shorter girl snapped back. "You may even ask him yourself if you wish to confirm it."

Oh she absolutely would. Once he got back, at least. Until then, all she could do was continue to protest the very idea of it. "Oh yeah? When did this phantom duel happen? In your dreams?"

"I'll have you know it took place in the kitchen. The first time Jaune and I cooked together, he surrendered to me in a horn duel. He submitted to me, and therefore I have established dominance over him. He is mine to do with as I please."

Ruby scoffed. "He is not," she protested. "And I don't believe you could have defeated Jaune with that _single_ horn of yours."

Weiss took an angry step toward her. "Better to have a single horn put to good use than an ineffectual pair like yours," she retorted. "What an utter waste of good keratin."

"What's that supposed to mean!"

"It means that it's not the number of horns that matters, but how you use them," Weiss explained. "I may have only one horn, but at least I put it to good use. And I have already used my single, glorious horn to dominate the strongest male in our school. Proof that it is indeed superior to your mere... cosmetic accessories."

A hand unconsciously drifted up to feel her horns. They were just as potent as Weiss'! She was going to regret her words someday.

This would be cleared up once Jaune got back. Even if this did happen, he must have just been joking. There was no way he would ever let himself be defeated by Weiss in such a manner. There was no way he would ever let himself become subservient to her in the pack hierarchy.

"Therefore, I will be moving into this room in order to keep an eye on my claim," Weiss continued. "In order to prevent you from getting any more of your foul scent on what is mine."

Ruby's eyes widened at the implications. To prevent her from scenting him any further. To prevent them from sharing a bed. To prevent them from cuddling. From any further kissing lessons...

Weiss had just crossed the line.

"I refuse," Ruby growled as she closed the gap between her and Weiss. "I challenge any claim you might _think_ you have on Jaune."

"Is that so?" the other girl said as she too moved forward. "If you wish to make it official, just say it."

She nodded, steeling herself for what was to come. "One, two, three, four! I declare a horn war!"

* * *

It was troubling how normal this had become for him. How normal this place had become.

Jaune walked down the hall back to his room with little apprehension. Sure, there was always the threat of Blake popping up seemingly out of nowhere, but her last sudden appearance had been some time ago. It was almost as if the encounter with her in his dorm room, and her subsequent encounter with Yang's Grimm arm had been enough to not only scare the terrifying girl away, but to keep her away as well. That, and the fact that he shared his bed with Ruby. Perhaps his roommate had been correct. Perhaps her scent was deterring the other girl.

He lifted an arm, taking a whiff of his armpit and scrunched his nose. Speaking of scents, he would be in dire need of a shower once he returned. After a nice training session, he had worked up a nice sweat. But it would all be worth it.

He would become strong. Strong enough to take on any of the hybrids in battle should it ever come to that again. It inevitably would. Tyrian may have been a madman, but he was focused enough to make his dislike for Jaune clear. There would be future matches against the hybrids. And when they happened, he would not kill them as others like Yang did. Or even Weiss. He would show them mercy. He would show them a better way. A human way. He would do all he could to make them get in touch with their humanity. To make them remember what they once were.

Jaune had seen a different side of Weiss today, yet it did not deter him from his path. From his goal. If anything, it only strengthened his resolve. Weiss was a victim just like Ruby, Yang, or any of the others. She was so much more than just a mindless animal with a penchant for violence. Weiss was proud and curious. A girl driven to be the best. Even funny when she thought she knew so much, yet knew so little. Had this been any other environment, he was certain she would have been a straight A student.

He would stand by her just like he would Ruby. He would show her the beauty of human warmth and compassion. Of what it meant to care for another. To choose this kind of behavior over their feral nature.

Turning the last corner, Jaune saw a familiar blonde girl with an oversized arm standing outside of his room. Yang was looking inside, but as for why, he couldn't say yet. As he neared he saw that there was excitement on her face. There were few things that he knew got this particular hybrid excited. His heart froze, fearing the worst for his roommate. For his friend.

For the girl he had kissed.

"Yang?" he asked as he approached her. He hadn't even realized he had broken out into a jog until he got there. "What's going on?"

Jaune pushed up next to her, unaware that he had lightly shoved the hybrid aside with his shoulder. Uncaring that she might take the act as some sort of physical challenge and use it as an excuse to repeatedly slam his body into the ground.

Surprisingly, she took no offense to his action. Her eyes were too focused on what was going on inside the room rather than himself. "Fun," she said simply. "Come see for yourself."

Yang's explanation had been less than helpful, so he decided to take her up on her offer. Looking into the room, he saw that Ruby was not alone in their room.

His roommate and Weiss stood in the middle, slowly circling one another with their heads slightly dipped. Their laser-like focus was on one another, letting neither himself nor Yang distract them from what they were doing. Then it happened. They both charged, clashing heads and horns with each other before backing off.

Jaune blinked. He was momentarily at a loss for words, but soon found himself able to compose coherent thought. "What... what are they doing?"

"Oh that?" Yang said nonchalantly. "Horn fencing."

He blinked again. "Horn fencing?"

For the first time since arriving, Yang spared him a glance. "Oh, I guess you must not have a horn in your Grimm form. At least not an upper horn," she added with a wink. "It's what hybrids who have horns do to settle disputes. Assert dominance. All that good stuff."

Jaune nodded absentmindedly. These hybrids, they not only ate like animals. They not only thought like animals. They fought like animals as well. Right now Ruby and Weiss continued to circle each other, before they would inevitably charge forward once more like a pair of rams or elk butting their heads together. It was like something out of a nature documentary. Only Jaune was here witnessing it live.

Thankfully this current fight was nothing like what Weiss and Nolan had gone through earlier today. There were no weapons involved. No overt acts of violence beyond the clashing of horns. If this was merely a battle to settle a dispute, there probably wasn't the threat of death.

If there was, he would step in to interrupt them in a heartbeat.

"Shouldn't we stop them?"

"Are you kidding? This is great." The pair clashed again, causing Yang to cheer in excitement. "Wooooo! Kick her ass, Ruby!"

He on the other hand could not force himself to pick a favorite. Despite his closeness to Ruby, he still cared for Weiss. Her, and all of the sharp, painful pokes she had given him with her horn. It was just a part of her personality. Her arrogance and pushiness were so very human.

"So what are they fighting over?" he asked the girl next to him. "If they're settling a dispute or something."

"You know what? I honestly don't know," Yang shrugged. "But who cares! We're getting to see some good stuff, and my sister's in the middle of it!"

Jaune couldn't find it in him to get excited over the violence. It was a mindset which set him apart from the hybrids. Where he used violence and force only when necessary, they embraced it. It seemed to be ingrained in their behavior. A cynical thought entered his mind not a moment later. In all honesty, were humans and faunus really so different? Did they not also fight wars and commit horrible atrocities on each other?

Maybe he and the hybrids weren't so different after all.

Such existential thoughts were pushed from his mind when Weiss jumped up on the unused top bunk of his and Ruby's bed. "It's over, Ruby," she sneered, looking down on the other girl. "I have the high ground!"

The height certainly did give Weiss an advantage. Height was not something he would normally associate with the girl. Looking down on others, however, was entirely appropriate.

To Ruby's credit, she did not seem deterred in the slightest. "You underestimate my power!" she shot back.

With a powerful spring in her step, Ruby leapt upward horns-first, slamming into the girl above her. The impact made Jaune wince, and both girls came tumbling off the bed and onto the floor, crashing in a loud, jumbled heap.

This had to end. If this went on longer they may actually hurt each another. Screw their dispute and their way of handling it. It was time for a little good old fashioned human diplomacy.

"Ruby, Weiss," he said as he stepped into the room. He moved to kneel next to both girls who were currently recovering from their fall to the floor. "Stop. That's enough."

"Booo!" Yang jeered from behind him. "Party pooper."

Jaune rolled his eyes. Of course Yang would be the one to complain about him putting an end to this senseless violence.

Ruby squirmed on the floor, rolling slightly as a hand gripped her forehead. "No," she said weakly. "It's not over."

The girl managed to get up on all fours, as did Weiss next to her. The two once more weakly butted heads together, this time doing nothing more than eliciting a dull clicking noise as their horns touched.

Jaune sighed and placed a hand on both of their shoulders in order to separate them. "You really need to stop doing that," he told the redhead. "You're going to get brain damage."

She turned to regard him, her eyes widening and narrowing in quick succession as she tried to focus on him. "Shut up, Jaunes. I don't need this from the two of you."

Maybe his brain damage comment hadn't been too far off. Jaune took hold both Weiss and Ruby's hands as he stood up, his Aura-fuelled strength allowing him to pull the two of them up with ease. Neither seemed eager to stray from his grip either, judging by the way both leaned against him.

Only Weiss made a halfhearted protest against his actions. "Unhand me, servant," she said softly. "I did not say you could touch me."

Never mind the fact that Weiss seemed to be clinging to him in order to stand upright. Jaune smiled, knowing that her actions and her words were entirely contradictory. That her actions spoke far louder than those words.

He led them over to his and Ruby's bed. "Both of you sit. Rest. Recover. Okay?"

Ruby nodded weakly. Weiss' arms folded across her chest as she looked away with a huff. But again, the white-haired girl made no moves to contradict his orders.

"And no more fighting," he quickly followed up.

Grunts of acknowledgement came from both. Both had begun rubbing their heads to try and soothe away the pain they undoubtedly felt.

"I need to take a quick shower. And when I get back out here, maybe you can explain to me why you were... horn fencing," he said, using Yang's own lingo.

Another pathetic sound left Ruby's throat as she fell over sideways onto the mattress.

"Whatever, party's over," Yang said disappointingly. "I'm out of here."

Good. The last thing he needed was to leave them alone with an instigator like her.

After grabbing a fresh set of clothes, Jaune stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. He made sure to lock it. One could never be too careful with a bored Yang lurking about.

* * *

After emerging from the shower fresh and clean, Jaune saw that both girls were still sitting on his bed. They both seemed to be acting civilly enough. That was worth something at least. The last thing he needed was for them to start ramming their heads together again.

The only difference was that Ruby changed into her sleeping attire, which consisted of the shirt he had given her some time back. He supposed that was proof of whatever spat between her and Weiss being over. She was ready to sleep, and that meant no more fighting. The question was, why was Weiss still here? Why wasn't she going back to get ready for bed in her own room?

He supposed that was another question he could ask later. Right now, however, he only had one on his mind. "So do you want to tell me why the two of you were fighting?"

Ruby's eyes darted away embarrassedly, like she had just been caught trying to steal from the cookie jar. Weiss on the other hand seemed to puff out her chest with pride, her usual haughty attitude radiating from her posture.

Jaune frowned at the fact that neither seemed willing to talk openly about it. Was it because of the nature of the dispute? Or because they were both in the room together with him, and neither felt they could speak freely?

Finally though, Ruby spoke. Only she decided to ask a question of her own. "Jaune, is it true you lost to Weiss?"

He looked back into her worried red eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't try to deny it," Weiss said quickly. "You can't take your surrender back."

His focus shifted to the other girl now. "No, really. What are you talking about?"

Weiss stood, taking a pointed step toward him. "In the kitchen, during our first time," she explained. He wished she hadn't worded it like that. "We dueled, and you surrendered. Therefore I won. I have a perfectly legitimate claim over you to do with as I please."

Jaune's mind stretched back to their first time _cooking_ in the kitchen. Where he had taught her about things like eggs. He couldn't recall most of the finer details, but he was starting to remember one of the many times she had attacked him with her horn. That incident in particular had been worse than normal. Her assault on him had been aggressive and persistent.

He did seem to remember telling her that he 'surrendered'...

"Oh, that..." he said slowly.

"Yes, that! Don't try to brush it off as if it was nothing!"

A hand came up to nervously rub the back of his neck. These hybrids and their rules were all so foreign to him. After all, he wasn't one of them. "I didn't realize that was a, uh, duel..."

"Hah!" Ruby exclaimed as she too stood up. "It doesn't count then since Jaune didn't know it was a duel! You must not have declared it, did you?"

Weiss' head snapped over to look at Ruby. But the fact that she didn't reply to the girl spoke volumes about Ruby's protest.

"So that means it doesn't matter if he surrendered," she continued. "No duel, no claim!"

Weiss' hands curled up tightly. The seething rage simmering inside of her was threatening to erupt at any second.

Jaune still didn't know what this 'claim' was about. Or what Ruby and Weiss were dueling about in the first place. However, seeing how their attention had been brought on him and his own duel, maybe it wasn't too important.

"Regardless, I'm still not leaving," Weiss said angrily. "Our own contest resulted in a draw. You have no grounds to expel me from our room."

 _Our_ room? Jaune didn't like where this was going...

"You're going to put up with me?" Ruby asked amusedly. "And my defective emotions?"

Jaune didn't like the way Ruby worded that. There was nothing wrong with her or her emotions. He would need to show that to her at some point in the future. He needed to make her see that her humanity was beautiful, and that it should be embraced.

"I will endure what I must in order to look after what is mine," Weiss stated confidently. She turned, and lowered her head to give Jaune a light poke to the arm. "You. I require sleeping attire."

"Don't you have your own?"

"I believe I made it specifically clear that I would not be denied a gift," she spat angrily. "You gave Ruby one of your shirts. You will give me one as well."

 _Is it really a gift if you demand it from someone?_ he silently wondered. He shook his head incredulously. "I'm going to run out of shirts at this point."

"That's okay," Ruby said quickly.

He eyed her curiously. "Right..."

Another poke from Weiss brought his attention back to her. "Hurry up now. I'm tired after my battle with Ruby, and I wish to retire for the night."

Jaune sighed and moved over to the dresser containing his clothes. He pulled out a simple white undershirt and handed it to Weiss. He had expected her to behave like Ruby, and simply strip in front of him with no regard for modesty. He was equal parts thankful and disappointed that this was not the case.

"Turn around," she ordered. "Do not peek while I change."

He complied, knowing that he was in for a severe horn assault if he did not.

It took only a few seconds, and Jaune heard the light thump of her black dress hitting the floor before she pulled the shirt over her head.

"You may look now."

Jaune turned back to see the comical sight of Weiss' petite body in his shirt. It hung loosely from her almost like a short dress. Without her high heels, she must have been close to five feet tall. He wouldn't have been surprised if two of her slender bodies could fit inside a single shirt of his.

"Do you find something amusing?" she asked.

Jaune hadn't even realized he had been smiling, and was quick to wipe it from his face. Weiss glared at him accusingly, and her arms once more moved to cross her chest.

"Nope. Nothing at all," he lied.

Red eyes remained staring at him for long seconds before she relented. "Good. Now I am prepared for sleep."

Before Jaune could comment, he felt the iron grip of Ruby take his arm and pull him down onto the bottom bunk with her. For someone so small and short, she was very strong. He supposed that came with the territory of being a hybrid.

"Oops, looks like there's no more room down here," Ruby said unapologetically. "I think you'll need to take the top bunk, Weiss."

There was indeed precious little room left on the bottom bunk. It was a bed normally designed to fit one person, and perhaps two at the maximum.

To no one's surprise, Weiss did not back down from the challenge. "I think not," she snarled as she approached.

Squirming her way on the other side of Jaune, she managed to squeeze in between him and the wall the bed was positioned against. Her small frame came in handy for once, and she was just able to fit in next to him. Even then, it only worked because her body was pressed up against his own, and one of her arms was draped over his chest.

"There, see?" she said smugly. "That wasn't so hard."

Oh how wrong she was.

With Ruby cuddling against him on one side, and Weiss doing the same on the other, things were becoming very hard indeed...

Jaune laid on his back, sandwiched between two girls who were driving both his mind and his hormones mad. On one side lay the girl who he had kissed. On the other lay another beautiful girl who seemed keen on spending time with him.

Had this been any other situation, this would have been living the dream. What every guy could have ever hoped for in life.

And yet these were two Grimm hybrids who could tear him apart at a moment's notice...

Life was strange sometimes, wasn't it?

Ruby's face nestled into the crook of his arm, her hair and horns rubbing affectionately against him. "Good night, Jaune."

He did the only thing he could with his arm so that it wouldn't hang off the side of the bed, and curled it around to rest on her back. "Good night, Ruby."

Feeling a weak jab on his other side, he turned to regard Weiss who had mimicked Ruby's own position. "Wish me good night," she demanded.

Again he complied with her request, and his arm came around to grip her tightly as well. Her body seemed to relax against his as he did so. "Good night, Weiss."

A victorious hum sounded in her throat.

Minutes passed by, and the breathing of both girls fell into a slow, rhythmic pattern. They were both out cold. Their fight must have taken a lot out of them. It said a lot that they could be so close to one another after such a battle so long as he was in between them. They would put aside their differences and animosity so long as they could both be with him.

As Jaune closed his eyes, his mind wandered, and he wondered what it might be like if these girls did want to do more than just cuddle one day. How could he not think about such things in his position? Grimm hybrids or not, they were both attractive in their own ways. Both had exceptionally enticing human forms...

 **"Good night, Jaune."**

Eyes snapped open at the sound of a third girl's voice. A voice that sent chills down his spine. One that was not in the bed with him.

But rather, under it.

He couldn't see her. He rarely could until it was too late. But he knew who it was.

"G-good night, Blake," he said nervously.

Jaune held Ruby and Weiss just a bit tighter after that.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** My thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** as always for their contributions of both ideas and writing. Couldn't pump these chapters out every week without them.

So Jaune has a new roommate. Well, two, actually. The idea that Blake sleeps under his bed and basks in his negativity is beautiful. Blake is the literal monster that lives underneath Jaune's bed. Fitting for his own personal boogieman. Or "Boogie Blake" as we dubbed her.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support. I continue to be amazed as each week goes by to see this story grow and continue to thrive. I truly appreciate you all.

I hope you liked the chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

A dream as deep as the ocean had taken him, once he could settle into his cocoon of forbidden desires and carnal wants. As well as the ever present, always there worry of what lay beneath. Jaune could not recall much about the dream, just a flash of silver and the feeling of something worming its way across his limbs and body. All too soon the dream ended, though he found that it wasn't a physical presence that woke him this morning.

It was the sound of voices that woke Jaune. Two thankfully familiar voices.

But it was the words which made him pretend that he didn't.

"Shhh," the harsh, counterproductive whisper of Ruby sounded in his ear. "Don't wake him."

Mission accomplished, Ruby. Great job.

"I am not waking him," Weiss argued, the volume of her voice on the same level as Ruby's. In other words, pointless to the goal they were trying to accomplish. "Unlike you I possess a quality known as subterfuge."

Jaune did his best to keep from groaning. Subtlety. She meant subtlety. She was about as subtle as a battering ram with the way she used her horn to get his attention. Or express displeasure with him. Or anything, really. With the way that Weiss demanded things from him, subtle was the last word he would use to describe her. Though he had no doubt she was capable of subterfuge, so perhaps she wasn't so off the mark.

"What do you think it is?" Weiss asked.

It surprised him to hear Weiss admit that she didn't know something. Usually she assumed that she knew everything. She was the most know-nothing know-it-all he had ever met in his life. Not that he would ever tell her that, of course. Not without proper protection and a prior written will on record.

Speaking of not knowing things, Jaune still had no idea what they were talking about. He didn't know why they were so hesitant to wake him either.

Until his legs shifted slightly underneath the covers.

 _Crap,_ his mind lamented. _Down, boy! Down!_

"It's his secret horn," Ruby inaccurately stated. "Yang wasn't lying."

Yes. The secret lower horn that Yang so liked to tease him about. And on this morning, that horn was at full attention.

He couldn't blame it. How could he not wake to this _perfectly natural_ reaction when he had fallen asleep in the arms of two pretty girls? Even in their Grimm forms, even with their long horns and glowing red eyes, Ruby and Weiss were both undoubtedly beautiful. It amazed Jaune that he could even think such things. Had he simply been at this school for too long? Had he been exposed to monster girls to the point where he could just ignore all of the freaky things about them? What was next? Would he think about Yang's monstrous hand... handling him? Just as he had dreamed about Blake's frightening teeth?

This place was going to be the death of him. Whether they wanted to kill him or not.

"I can see why Yang was impressed," she continued. "It's a good-sized horn."

Jaune's mind performed a happy dance, and a wide grin threatened to erupt on his face. _Ruby, I've never treasured you more than I do right now._

"My horn is bigger," Weiss stated proudly. Unimpressed with his own.

 _Damn it, Weiss!_

"It would appear that even he loses control of his human form while sleeping," she mused. Oh yes, he had certainly lost control all right. Not that it was his fault. Weiss was an accomplice. She had snuggled up next to him and pressed her feather light weight against him. It felt good. She felt good. Warm. They both had. "So much for our perfect classmate. Even his unconscious mind remembers his natural instincts."

Yes. Natural instincts. Like the kind teenage guys get when sharing a bed with two girls...

 _Maybe if I pretend to be asleep long enough they'll go away..._

Accomplice number two carried on unhelpfully. "Do... do we poke it?"

 _No! Do not poke it!_

"Don't be absurd," Weiss countered. "Horns are not for poking."

If horns weren't for poking, then Weiss had yet to demonstrate that.

Regardless, he appreciated her speaking up in his defense. _Thank you, Weiss. I'm going to cook you the best br-_

"Now that his horn has made its appearance we shall resume our duel."

 _Damn it!_

Of course that's what Weiss would want to do. After being denied her 'claim' the previous day, she was probably eager to officially get him under her thumb. And now that he had a 'horn' to duel, she had an opportunity to battle him once again.

A shame this horn was not meant for dueling.

"You can't do that while he's asleep," Ruby chastised her. "Didn't you learn anything from before? You have to make these things official!"

On second thought, Ruby would be the one getting the best breakfast ever. At least she had the sense to know not to touch people's horns while they were sleeping.

Oh gods, now he was referring to it as a horn. This place really was getting to him.

"Waiting for him to wake up would be nothing but an inconvenience," Weiss argued. "His secret horn is a lower horn. Does Jaune expect me to get on my knees in order to face it? What an absurd way to duel."

 _Better you on your knees than Blake. Wait! Stop it, Jaune!_

"The duel won't count unless he agrees to it," Ruby repeated.

"Look at it though," Weiss continued. "The way his secret horn stands in the air in silent challenge mocking me. It's practically begging me to give it my full attention."

Why was it that the only girls who wanted to give his horn their full attention were monster girls! Life really, _really_ wasn't fair. Wait. What attention did she mean? Did she mean...?

He felt the weight on the right side of the bed shift, and even with his closed eyes he could tell that Weiss had adjusted her position on the bed. "I will reclaim what's rightfully mine!" she snarled.

 _Abort! Abort!_

"Weiss, no!" Ruby shouted, as she too began to move.

Jaune, however, moved first.

Quickly moving into a sitting position, he bent his knees in order to protect his most sensitive area from what he assumed was going to be a direct attack from Weiss. The white-haired girl stopped in her tracks, and instead of attacking with her horn, delivered a scathing assault with her eyes.

"Hey, good morning, Weiss," Jaune said hurriedly. "Good morning, Ruby. How are you today?"

He received his first answer as Ruby clamped onto his left arm with both of hers, pulling herself close to his body once more. "I feel great," she said excitedly. Her horns moved to nuzzle back and forth against his shoulder. "Nice and refreshed. I always sleep well next to you."

Words every guy would have been thrilled to hear. Even when coming from a Grimm hybrid. He couldn't enjoy the moment for long, however, as the second presence to his right moved next to him and once more earned his attention.

"I slept quite soundly as well," Weiss informed him. "Perhaps your body isn't entirely useless, as it makes for an excellent pillow. I look forward to sharing further nights with you."

If his body's morning reaction was anything to go by, so was he.

"After all, if you do lose control of your human form while you sleep, it will give me ample opportunity to take on your lower horn. You shall not deny me this satisfaction."

Sometimes Jaune wondered if these girls really did understand what they were saying, and that they were just messing with him. If a normal outsider heard the way that Yang and Weiss had spoken to him, they would assume they wanted him in ways that did not involve strange hybrid duels.

In any case, he had to distract the girl who would be jabbing his groin with her sharp horn if she had it her way. "Hey I've got an idea," he quickly interrupted her. "Since it's Saturday, why don't we make a nice big breakfast together? Does that sound good, Weiss?"

"Snow Angel."

Jaune blinked. "What?"

"Snow Angel," she repeated. "From now on you will address me as such."

"What are you- ow!"

A jab to the arm from Weiss' horn silenced his protests. "Do not presume to take back the nickname you presented to me. You may have ferreted your way out of our duel, but the nickname is mine and mine alone!"

Ferreted? In any case, there were more important things to address than her misuse of idioms. "You realize that was just for Professor Fall's class, right?"

"You will address me as such," she repeated. "But only in the privacy of our room," she quickly followed up. Her white face darkened, and she turned away as she continued speaking. "If you dare call me that in public in front of others, it will be the last sound your throat ever utters."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Sure..." He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Ruby's longing expression staring at him. "Ruby?"

"Can I have a name too?"

With how the adorable hybrid was looking at him, he couldn't say no. The problem was that he had no such nickname on hand for her. "Um... yeah. I just need to think of one first."

"That's fine," she said happily as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Take your time. It should be special, after all. Special for the two best friends in the world."

The sentimental attitude of the girl forced a lump into Jaune's throat. How was she even a hybrid? How was she a monster like the rest of them? It made no sense. Ruby was a paradox. While the others had their human traits which shined on occasion, Ruby was indeed special in her behavior.

Another poke forced his attention back to Weiss. "If you're going to give Ruby a nickname as well, then you need to do something extra for me," she demanded. "And it had better be good."

"Well what about that breakfast? We have all morning."

"Unacceptable. We all eat breakfast every morning. Something for _me_."

Jaune wracked his brain trying to think of something he could do for Weiss. In all honesty, he didn't find her demanding behavior to be off-putting. She reminded him of a bratty kid sister who sought the attention of her older siblings. Not out of jealousy or spite, but rather because she wanted them to notice her. To like her. To care for her. He had dealt with that from his own younger sisters. Weiss, for all of her bluster and ego, simply wished to be acknowledged.

Then it hit him. Something which he had indeed done with his sisters. Something which his sisters had done to him. _Inflicted_ on him. Nonetheless, it was a skill he had acquired growing up with seven of them.

"What if I braid your hair?" he asked.

Crimson eyes narrowed on him. "Braid?"

"Yeah. Your hair's really long. Long enough to do something with. If you'll let me."

Weiss' hands reached up to stroke her long white tresses. "Why would I wish to alter my hair? In its current state it does not hamper my ability to fight, nor does it obscure my vision."

"Well, styling your hair is a very human thing to do," he explained. "Humans do it all the time in order to... um..." He didn't want to say to make them look more attractive. That was a landmine which would surely explode should he step on it. "Variety," he wound up saying. "Humans do it do have more variety in their appearances."

If he did things right, he had no doubt that Weiss would find his work to be an improvement. His sisters had fussed over their hair enough while growing up. At her very core, Weiss was still a teenage girl. Deep down, she would enjoy this. It would appeal to her vanity. He wanted her to get in touch with more of her human emotions. Even if it was her pride.

"So it's a human lesson," she mused. "Very well. I shall allow you access to my flawless hair then."

Jaune smiled as he slipped out of the front of the bed, and led Weiss over to the single chair and desk which occupied the room. It would be difficult without things like a brush or mirror, so he would just have to wing it.

He unbound the crude ponytail Weiss wore, letting her long, snowy hair cascade down her back. There was more than enough to work with. Almost too much. Braiding the entirety of it would be way too much work and take far too long. However, a few braids at the sides and of her head and the knot of her new ponytail would be a manageable enough job.

It was like working with silk. Weiss' hair was incredibly smooth, far smoother than he would have expected from a Grimm hybrid. It was just another reminder of how gorgeous she would have been as a human. With flawless pale skin, shining light blue eyes, and silky-smooth white hair, his earlier nickname for her was entirely accurate. Weiss was a Snow Angel.

"That's amazing..." Ruby whispered in rapt fascination.

Jaune continued his work, not looking back at Ruby as he replied. "What is?"

"What you're doing with Weiss' hair," she explained. "I had no idea you could be so... I dunno."

"Human?"

There was silence for a few moments, and Jaune couldn't see if she had responded nonverbally before she spoke again. "Yeah. Making something prettier. Better. It's really cool..."

 _Yes, Ruby. Yes it is._ His sadness turned to joy when he heard his friend speak. It was working. Not only was Ruby seeing that there was more to life than fighting and destruction, but she enjoyed the thought of it. She found the idea of being human to be cool. Improving things, making things better and prettier, was far better than wishing to tear down society.

"You're really good with your fingers," she continued. "Do you think you can use them on me sometime?"

Jaune coughed violently, choking on his own breath. He knew what she meant, but his mind went to a completely different place… He was going to have to do something about that soon.

"No, Ruby," Weiss interjected. "The only one Jaune shall be using his fingers on is me."

And of course Weiss wasn't helping.

"Well that's not fair! Jaune has two hands and enough fingers for us both!"

The boy closed his eyes and sighed. Yes, Ruby. Keep putting those kinds of thoughts and images into his mind. It wasn't as if he wasn't having enough while the two of them snuggled against him at night.

"If Jaune wishes to use his fingers on you, then he may do it on his own time. However, this is my time. And my satisfaction is all he needs to be concerned with. Right, Jaune?"

The question broke him from his stupor. "Uh, right."

Weiss hummed in victory. "Good. Now then, you may continue with your work. The way your fingers are stroking me feels quite good."

 _Hair,_ he thought forlornly. _Why can't you specify they're stroking your hair?_

Thankfully there weren't further strange misunderstood interruptions as he continued. Jaune was able to work with Weiss' hair, and complete the new decorative braids in a short time. It helped that he had experience. Plenty of it with seven sisters. At a young age some of his older siblings had forcibly recruited him into learning how to style their hair. While he had resisted at first, it soon became apparent that there was no negotiating with them. It was better to just do it and get it over with than struggle against it.

The memories reminded him of his family. The people he loved, and had not spoken to since departing for what turned out to be an academy full of Grimm hybrids. Were they worried about him? Did they fear he had died in some sort of training exercise? He wished he had a way of reaching out to them. He knew that there was no escape. He knew there was no chance he would be able to warn them about his plight. There was no getting around that. But if he could just maybe find a way to contact them, just to tell them that he was alive and well, it would make him feel a lot better.

At least until someone or something in this school finally did claim his life. He wasn't eager to let that happen, however. He was determined to come out of this alive. Somehow. Someway. He would see them again.

"And done," Jaune said, finally removing his hands from Weiss' long white locks. "Check it out in the mirror to see if you like it."

Weiss stood, the undershirt he had given her before reaching down comically to her thighs like a nightgown. It was probably for the best, because had it been shorter he would have gotten a glimpse in what he could only assume was her panty-clad backside.

Following after her to the bathroom entrance, he saw how the girl turned left and right in order to see his handiwork. A tight smile curled on her lips. "I approve," she finally said.

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. A content Weiss meant that there would be no attacks from her horn. This was especially important considering that she now believed that his own dueling horn resided below his belt. Her horn pecks would become a lot more problematic if she decided to pursue that option.

"Glad you like it," he said happily. He turned to Ruby next. "I hate to say it, but your hair isn't really long enough to braid." A frown crept on her own lips from his admission. That wouldn't do. "But maybe there's something else I can do for you? It doesn't have to be braiding."

"Something else?" she wondered. "Just for me?"

He shrugged. "Sure. If Weiss got her hair done, you should get something too."

Weiss whirled around from the mirror to look at him. "That wasn't how the deal went!"

"Nope, he said I get something too!" Ruby said quickly. "I don't have to decide right away, do I?"

Jaune shook his head. "Nope. Take your time."

What had been a frown only seconds before turned into a bright smile. "I'll think of something then. Something just for me."

Her sincere and serene smile brought one to Jaune's own face. He loved it when Ruby was happy. He loved to make Ruby happy. She was one of the few bright spots for him here in this school.

As it turned out, Weiss was as well. Behind all of her ego and posturing was still just a teenage girl who enjoyed having her hair done. Who enjoyed looking beautiful. Who enjoyed the compliments of others. Specifically, from him.

They were his two closest allies in a world that would see him dead. He had to keep them close. He had to keep them satisfied. His life may very well depend on it.

With a soft huff, Weiss moved to the door. "Well whatever it is you decide, do not make plans for this evening. Understood?"

He looked at her curiously. "Why?"

"It's a secret," she stated plainly as she grabbed the handle. "Now if you would excuse me, I must speak with Professor Callows about something."

The words sent a chill down Jaune's spine. Weiss was going to speak with Tyrian. It prompted him to repeat his last question. "Why?"

"I believe I made it clear that it was a secret."

She hadn't. What she had told him was that her plans for tonight were a secret. But now he knew that those plans and her reasons for speaking with the terrifying scorpion faunus were connected to each other.

The girl left without another word, leaving him alone with Ruby. She gave him a soft smile. It was almost reassuring. Whatever it was that Weiss was about to bring down on him, at least he had Ruby at his side.

A red tipped blade lazily patted him on the shoulder, as if trying to reassure him. Jaune paled quietly as the tendril it was attached to dissapeared back behind them. Ruby was looking forward at the moment, completely oblivious.

* * *

Weiss strode down the hall with a sense of purpose. Something had piqued her curiosity recently. And if there was one thing she desired more than anything else in the world, it was knowledge.

Nolan, as useless as the boy may have been, had spoken of something she did not know.

Movies.

Based on how Nolan had spoken to her, movies were something personal. Intimate. Perhaps even something that mates did together. The now deceased boy had made his woefully inadequate interest in her obvious to see. She knew her logic was infallible. If movies were something which humans did together, something which mates did together, then she must learn all she could about them.

Movies were something that had apparently been acquired from Professor Callows himself. Why was her teacher providing him, and not herself with this exotic lore? It was unacceptable. It was a failure that she was remedy today. Tonight. With Jaune.

A hand drifted up to her newly braided hair. He had done that for her and her alone. As Ruby had said, he had created something beautiful with his own hands, rather than destroyed. It was so very... human.

Was that perhaps why she wished to do movies with him? Weiss thought back to the scenario which Professor Fall had placed them in a number of days ago when they had imitated human courtship. Aside from the compliments he gave to her which for some reason affected her body's temperature and heart rate, he did indeed have positive physical attributes. He was large and strong. Yet on a more personal level, he was so much more than just this.

The blond boy was certainly an interesting specimen that she felt she could learn from. Jaune was different from the rest of the males here at the academy. He did not view her as mere breeding stock, despite the seemingly long and virile horn that he possessed. He would make a fine mate for those who he chose. His pack would grow large and strong if he were to ever remove the shackles of his human form and allow himself to behave naturally.

Even if he did not, he still had his uses. Jaune would help her become the best student in the academy. He would be able to use his admittedly greater knowledge of humanity to enhance her own. At least until her inherently superior abilities were able to take what he had taught her and built on it until she surpassed him. He had already introduced her to the culinary arts, and she had quickly become adept in that. She wondered if he had any knowledge of these movies that Nolan had spoken of. She hoped not. Maybe for once she would be able to teach him something about being more human. She would be able to rub his face in something that he did not know. What a sight that would be!

Arriving at the Tyrian's chambers, Weiss rapped her knuckles against the door a couple times before her hands linked behind her back. She stood tall and firm, her horn proud and upright as she awaited an answer from her teacher.

It took only a few seconds for the door to open, revealing the familiar man clad in white. Yellow eyes looked down upon her with glee, and his hands came up to rub together excitedly. "Mistress Weiss," he greeted with joy in his voice. "To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

"Professor Callows," she began formally. Her eyes never left his own. "I wish to have movies."

Tyrian pursed his lips, and his head tilted ever so slightly in confusion. "Movies?"

"Yes. Nolan told me that you provided him with movies. I wish to have some."

"Ah," the man said with understanding. "Yes, I _did_ provide the boy with some movies." His earlier smile returned to his face in the form of a knowing smirk. "Of course you personally made sure that any talk of the boy would be in past tense. A fine fight if I ever did see one from one of our goddess' most glorious children."

While Weiss would have normally appreciated praise from the man, she had not come here to hear him worship Salem. "Since he will not longer need them, may I have his allotment of movies?"

"But of course. Tell me, what kind of movies would you like?"

This time it was Weiss' own face which frowned with confusion. "There are different kinds?"

A look of understanding formed on Tyrian's face. "Oh my. You know of their existence, but not what they are. A word without meaning. Am I correct in my assumption?"

Her frown shifted from confusion to frustration. Indeed, she did not exactly know what movies were. Only what purpose they might serve. Weiss did not like to admit she didn't know something. The girl took pride in being the best and brightest student in the academy. More than that, she enjoyed lording her knowledge over her inferiors. However, if admitting her ignorance to Tyrian now meant that she could use that knowledge against her peers later, it would be worth it.

"Yes," she admitted begrudgingly.

"Please, allow me to clarify then," he said warmly. "Movies are much like the boring, stuffy documentaries you have seen in Professor Watts' class. They tell a story through moving pictures and sound. Does this help in your understanding?"

It did. Professor Watts on occasion had them watch what he called documentaries about humanity. The subjects he tended to focus on were things like the history of wars, politics and plagues. All things which were capable of undermining human societies and engineering the downfalls of their kingdoms. Camera footage from the near or distant past was captured to be replayed for educational purposes. If this is what movies were, then she did indeed have a fine understanding of them.

"I see. Then I would like to have some of the movies that you had provided Nolan in the past."

Tyrian's tail twitched back and forth as he turned back to look into his room. "Very well. I believe I have a selection of movies in mind which you may find quite... enjoyable."

Weiss smiled. Indeed, she would find any opportunity to learn extremely enjoyable. If she was about to receive a specialized and exclusive lesson from Professor Callows in the form of these movies, then she was eager to get all she could from the man.

Tyrian went back into his room briefly before coming back with two small, thin boxes. Each had what appeared to be a photograph of people on the fronts of them. "I believe you will find this selection to be most informative. This one," he continued, pointing to the box which had the word 'Alien' written on it. "In particular is a classic of cinematography."

Weiss didn't know what that word meant, but if it had Tyrian's approval then she would gladly take it. "Thank you, Professor Callows."

"Since it is a Saturday, you may have access to the teacher's lounge tonight in order to watch these movies. Tell me, are you going to bring any companions with you to watch them?"

She thought back to her earlier conversation with Jaune and Ruby. She had indeed told the boy to reserve the night to do the movies with her. Or more accurately now, to watch movies with her. She also knew that where Jaune went, Ruby would follow.

Weiss bit her lip gently. If movies were indeed something which mates did together, was that why she had invited Jaune?

"Yes," she confirmed. "Jaune and Ruby will be joining me."

Tyrian cackled softly to himself. "Oh how wonderful. Just a moment, allow me to provide you with one more movie."

A few seconds later he returned with a third box. "This one is _very_ educational. Be sure to watch it all as a group, okay?"

Weiss looked at the newest movie she had just been handed. It didn't look any more educational than either of the others, but she would take the man's word for it.

She nodded. "Very well. Thank you, Professor."

Tyrian placed a hand over his chest and bowed dramatically. "But of course. I live to serve Salem and her children. Your happiness and success gives my life meaning."

For a faunus, Weiss knew that Tyrian was a strange one. It was a curious thing to why a human or faunus would willingly serve the Queen of the Grimm. However Weiss chose not to question it. Her mission in life was to bring the entirety of humanity under the heel of Salem. Perhaps those like Tyrian and Cinder were just ahead of the curve. They knew their place already without having to be dominated.

Weiss turned and left, carrying the three movies tightly in her hands. Tonight she would have exclusive access to the teacher's lounge along with Jaune and Ruby. Perhaps she would allow the boy to sit next to her. If only to aid in her own comfort while viewing the movies.

As she had learned the previous night, the boy did make for an excellent pillow. There was more than that, however. Loathe as she was to admit it, him wrapping an arm around her and holding her body close to him made her feel things which she had never felt before. An odd sense of comfort and warmth had filled her body as she quickly drifted to sleep. She now knew what Ruby saw in him. She understood why the girl was so insistent on sharing a bed with him. And now that Weiss herself did as well, she would let nothing remove her from his side.

It never hurt to have options on the table. Since Jaune did have his uses, she would be sure to keep him close. To keep those options open should she ever need to use them.

* * *

Jaune never thought he would see the day that 'Species' made a person cry.

Yet here he was.

As it turned out, Weiss' big plan for the evening had been a simple movie night. He was amazed that Grimm hybrids even had such a concept. That they would gather together to watch movies with their friends. Yet here he was. Sitting on a couch in the teacher's lounge next to his friends watching movies.

He was flanked on either side by Ruby and Weiss. Next to Ruby sat Yang, who had decided to tag along once she found out that the three of them would be doing something together. When she found out that it was only to watch 'documentary movies' together, she had been especially let down. Yet she stuck with the group regardless, assuming a half-way human form so that her arm didn't destroy everything. Thankfully Blake had not made the same approach. He didn't think he could handle the idea of Blake and her tentacles after watching a pair of movies featuring creepy alien tentacle monsters.

Ruby was practically bawling as the credits to the sci fi horror movie scrolled on the screen. "I think my eyes are broken, they won't stop running!"

Jaune was caught somewhere between pity and amusement. Ruby was crying. She had no idea what it was or why she was doing it, but she was indeed crying. Over Species.

"I liked Alien more," Yang chimed in. "More blood and guts."

"All she wanted to do was mate," the redhead continued. "Why did they have to kill her for wanting to do something so beautiful and natural?"

Maybe because the alien parasite creature had murdered countless humans in order to try and achieve her goal? Naturally he didn't say that. To these Grimm hybrids, a few broken eggs, or in this case broken humans, were perfectly acceptable losses in achieving their goals.

"That was a true story," Weiss said with a sniffle of her own. Her arm came up to rub across her eyes. The contents of that movie must have really gotten to them. "Humans really are such horrible and selfish creatures."

Again Jaune wanted to speak up in protest, but decided against it. After all, he was one of them. He was a hybrid. He couldn't explain to them why it wasn't okay to just go around and infect human hosts with parasitic alien spawn. Or that brutally murdering people was not an acceptable way to achieve your goals.

Still, he could at least correct Weiss' misconception that Species was a true story. "It's actually fictional," he told her. "It's just a movie."

Weiss raised a finger at him. "Categorically untrue!" she protested. "It is indeed a true story. These movies are just like the documentaries we see in Professor Watts' class. Professor Callows told me so."

It was obvious Weiss had a poor understanding of what movies were. While Jaune didn't doubt that Tyrian may have compared these movies to the documentaries in order to explain them to her, he also didn't doubt that Weiss came to the wrong conclusion with the explanation. That all movies were documentaries.

"They're not," he continued to press. "Are you going to tell me that the Facehugger impregnations from 'Alien' were true stories too?"

"That'd be awesome," the blonde girl said.

Weiss scoffed. "Of course not. The depiction of reproduction in that movie was absolutely false."

Jaune laughed softly. "I'm honestly surprised you know that."

Red eyes glared at him. "I know how the process of mating works. I've read about it extensively."

"You have?" Ruby asked.

"Of course," the shorter girl stated proudly. "The male fertilizes the eggs of the female with milt. I've just not figured out how to lay the eggs yet."

Jaune stared at her dumbfounded. "Eggs?"

Weiss nodded confidently. "Yes. First, I lay eggs. You then rub yourself furiously against me as I lay them. At which point you expunge a series of spores that will settle over the cluster of eggs, which I will then swallow. I will then return the eggs to your mouth where they were gestate for a period of eighteen to twenty-two months. At which point a great bird will swoop down and help you deliver the eggs."

Words could not describe what Weiss had just stated. There may have been odd bits of truth in her depiction of mating. If they were fish. Or some other sort of animal. And the bit about the bird? What did that have to do with anything!

"A bird..." he questioned.

"Yes. I believe it is called a snipe."

Oh. That explained it. Now she was just mixing science with fairy tales. It would have been adorable had he not wanted to facepalm so much at this very moment. Though, didn't she mean stork?

"You realize I'm not a fish, right?" he asked her.

"Oh really? Yang told me you were part Leviathan."

Jaune looked over to where Yang sat. The girl merely shrugged nonchalantly.

"But those aren't fish," he argued.

"They live in water, do they not?" Weiss countered. "They have fins and gills. They are fish. Have you ever seen a land-fish? I think not!"

One of these days Weiss' twisted logic was going to make his head explode. This was going nowhere fast. He needed a distraction, and fast. Ruby gasping in shock caught his attention, his head twisting to see a flurry of black hair whip out of sight. Blinking, he looked at the confused expression on Ruby's face, looking around.

"Someone just licked away my eye water! I can see again!"

Jaune looked behind the couch. Nothing. Getting up, he looked underneath the couch, expecting a mass of black hair, cat ears and red eyes to be waiting. Nothing.

"Jaune, hurry up!" Weiss was as impatient as ever.

He knew that was Blake. Blake...licking tears. She worried him. Deeply. Almost as much as the feeling of a bladed tentacle lovingly grazing his shoulders as he was bent down. Standing straight up he whirled around.

Nowhere to be seen.

"How about we just watch the last movie?" he suggested quickly.

"Very well," Weiss agreed. He wouldn't have been surprised if she took him changing the subject as a surrender.

Grabbing hold of the last DVD, he read the title in his head. Faunus Fever. Tyrian certainly did have a particular taste in movies. Sci fi, horror, and now presumably disaster? He could only assume this was some sort of epidemic apocalypse movie where a strange new disease wipes out most of the planet's population. One called the Faunus Fever. Gods above, he hoped this wouldn't excite Blake any more than she apparently already was.

As he set the disc into the player, Ruby spoke up. "Oh, I have an idea!" she said excitedly.

"What's that?"

"For this next movie let's make a game of it. We try to hold our human forms for as long as possible. Whoever lasts the longest wins." She stopped, looking at Jaune briefly. "Well you don't count since you can hold your human form as long as you want..."

Of course he could. He was just _that good_.

Weiss hummed, her appearance morphing before his eyes as she spoke. "Practical education disguised as a game? I can't say that I hate the idea. What does the winner receive?"

Yang chuckled softly. "I can think of one idea," she offered suggestively.

Jaune knew exactly what she meant by that. He sank lower into the couch. These girls were absolutely going to be the death of him.

He jumped as he felt something from inside the couch reach out and touch him. Something all too familiar. "Don't fret," the elusive voice of Blake purred. "I won't let them hurt you. Too much..."

Something warm and wet flicked across his ear. He recoiled from the touch, finding himself falling into Ruby's arms.

The redhead squeaked with surprise as she looked at him. "Jaune?"

"Blake..." he said, as if that was all that was needed as explanation.

"Still need you..." the shadowy whisper said from inside the couch.

Blake was inside the couch. How was she inside the couch!

Ruby grabbed hold of his arm with her own. "Stop that, Blake!" she shouted.

The tentacle retreated. Hissing laughter sounded from around them as the tendril slithered back underneath the cushion to leave him alone.

Jaune sat next to Ruby, who had taken possession of one of his arms. Weiss did the same on his other side, refusing to let Ruby have anything that she did not.

As they sat there, even knowing what was underneath them, Jaune did feel just a bit safer in their embrace.

* * *

Time passed and Ruby lost the human competition, but she didn't mind. This movie was turning out to be very interesting.

It was way different than the other ones. This one seemed to be about regular humans and faunus interacting together. A human worker known as a plumber had gone over to a faunus woman's house in order to aid her in cleaning her pipes. This was important knowledge on the everyday workings of human society. People had jobs. Careers. There were professions out there that were not huntsmen. This was all very fascinating.

What was especially fascinating was how the human male and the faunus female began to grow physically closer to one another. The plumber had abandoned his duty of cleaning the woman's pipes in order to take her in his arms and kiss her. Was this a normal thing to do for two humans who had just met?

In any case it was good to have another practical demonstration for the act of kissing. Not that she doubted Jaune's abilities. Not that she had a problem of practicing with him...

She glanced over to the boy next to her, who appeared to have a look of horror on his face. How strange.

With a slight bump of her shoulder against his own, she earned his attention. "Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?" he asked nervously.

"You used to tell me to wear clothes when we were in bed together." She pointed to the screen on which the movie played. "Why aren't they?"

"Uh... well... they're, um, going to..."

The man removed his pants, revealing a long, fleshy appendage. Ruby gasped.

A secret lower horn!

The human's horn seemed to be stimulated when he was lying down in the embrace of the faunus woman. Just as Jaune's had been.

Did she... did they do that to him? Had her and Weiss' presence in bed with him caused his horn to appear?

Her attention was once more brought upon Jaune. "That's a strange looking horn," she commented. "Do all lower horns look like that?"

Jaune squirmed in her grip, trying to break free and stand up. "Okay, movie's over, everyone!"

Her grip on him tightened. She didn't want the movie to be over. The actions that were taking place on screen were new. Interesting. Dare she say, exciting. As Weiss had mentioned earlier, the human and faunus were rubbing vigorously on each other. The woman seemed to enjoy being stabbed by the lower horn. Was that the process of... mating?

Ruby had always known that mates were a thing. That mating was a process. However, she had never actually known the finer details of how it occurred. Of what she would have been expected to do with her mate. Was this it? Was this why Jaune had insisted that she wear clothes when they slept together? Had he known the details of mating all along?

"It's okay, Jaune," she said as she held on to him tightly with her black, skeletal hand. "Let's keep watching."

The boy seemed to relax in her grip as he leaned back into the couch. "You're right. This is fine."

She smiled. That's right. This was fine. Everything was fine. This movie was nothing if not educational. If she was to portray a human, then she needed to learn all she could about how they acted. And that included mating.

As Jaune slumped back against the couch his head fell over onto her shoulder. It was nice. Holding onto him while she watched this movie was a strange and interesting feeling. Her heart raced in her chest, and the room seemed to be getting warmer. It was just a shame there were so many others in the room with her.

One of those others snapped her from attention with the harsh tone of her voice. "Ruby!" an angry voice sounded from within the couch.

The girl jumped at the sudden noise. "W-what?"

"You keep ruining it."

"Ruining what?"

"Your arm," Blake stated as a tentacle slipped up from the cushions to graze her Grimm arm. "You keep subduing him. Stop it."

Ruby stared down at her black limb. Had she been using her powers without even realizing it?

"If you keep mellowing him out, I can't feed off of his misery, fear and shame," the other girl continued. "Do you realize how selfish you're being?"

She removed it from Jaune's body, and a few seconds later he perked back up. He looked around as if recovering from being stunned.

"I- I didn't mean to," she said hurriedly.

Her arm. Her Apathy arm, gifted to her by Salem. She _had_ used it willingly before. Just never on Jaune.

At least not that she knew of.

"I'm so sorry," she said hurriedly, ignoring the sounds of moaning in the background coming from the TV. "Are you okay, Jaune?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, bringing a hand up to rub his head. "Just got tired there for a second. I think I've been staring at the TV for too long."

That wasn't it. Not at all. However she was hesitant to tell him what had really happened. She worried that he might hate her for it.

"Right," she agreed. "If you want we can go back to our room. If you wanna lie down and rest."

She released her grip on him as he moved to stand again, this time doing so successfully. "Yeah. That sounds like a plan. Might need a shower."

Ruby stood with him. She looked down to Yang and Weiss who remained seated on the couch. "We're going back to our room, okay?"

"Very well. I wish to stay a little longer and learn more about... about this," Weiss said embarrassedly as her eyes remained glued to the screen.

"Yeah, it's pretty hot," Yang said far more casually. "Have fun, you two," she added with a smirk at the retreating roommates.

Blake said nothing. There was no guarantee she was even in the room anymore.

Not wasting another moment, Ruby led Jaune out of the teacher's lounge and back to their room. All the while, thoughts of what she had seen in the movie filled her thoughts. What two humans or faunus did when they undressed and shared a bed together. What happened when they shed their clothes and revealed their lower horns.

What she and Jaune could do while they too shared a bed.

Maybe Weiss' snipe would be quite a welcome sight in the future. A hunger unlike anything she had known before found itself lit inside the pit of her stomach. A fire that threatened to turn her entire body into a pyre. Smiling, she found she didn't mind this feeling. Not one bit.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Well this was an, uh, interesting one to write. As much as we all love Boogie Blake, I also have a soft spot for "know-nothing know-it-all" Weiss. The way she mixes up words and information yet spouts it so confidently really amuses me.

Ruby's special Grimm power has been revealed now. It's been hinted at several times, but did anyone notice the instances when Ruby did use her Apathy arm?

Also, Jaune's hypothetical nickname for Ruby. Anyone have any suggestions? Let me know!

I want to thank you all for your continued support for this story. And of course my thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for all of their help.

As always, I hope you enjoyed it.


	11. Chapter 11

Growing up, Jaune had never been one to arrive to class early. Quite the opposite, in fact. When he wasn't on time he was only ever late. So it came as quite a different feel when he arrived at Professor Rainart's class a good ten minutes ahead of its scheduled start time.

He stood outside the doorway, collecting his nerves as he prepared to enter into the room alone with the bear of a man. Hazel was as confusing of a figure as he had ever encountered. The man worked for Salem. He had a hand in aiding and training the Grimm hybrids in their mission to infiltrate and undermine humanity. And yet, Hazel at his core did not seem to be evil. He did not act evil.

Hazel did not revel in the chaos and confusion that could be brought upon humanity like Professor Watts did. He did not take pleasure in deceit and the manipulation of pawns like Professor Fall. And he was certainly not an unhinged loon like Professor Callows. No, Hazel was not at all like any of his fellow teachers here at the academy. It made Jaune wonder what exactly made the man tick. What was the incentive in doing his job here? Why did he serve the monstrous Queen of the Grimm with as much loyalty as the rest of them?

It was that unknown which made Hazel intimidating. Jaune knew the other humans and faunus who served the Queen. Hazel was an enigma. One false step could be the boy's last.

Still, Hazel was also his last, best hope in what he hoped to accomplish. The giant at least seemed to possess a shred of humanity. Compassion. Empathy. It had been Hazel who told him to find something to fight for. Hazel who encouraged him to train privately in order to improve his odds of survival at this school. Perhaps... perhaps he would be willing to let Jaune have at least one small mercy while he was a captive here.

Steeling himself for the conversation to come, Jaune pushed himself through the entrance and into Hazel's classroom. The man sat behind his desk looking down at what he assumed was paperwork of some sort. It was a comical sight to see such a monstrous man behind a desk like some sort of mid-level management figure. Yet Jaune dared not crack even the smallest sliver of a smile.

Hazel looked up as Jaune approached. "Arc," he grunted.

It had been so long since Jaune had heard his own last name. Or anyone's surname who was not a teacher, really. It suddenly dawned on him that he had never once heard any of his classmate's last names. Did they even have them? Did they even know who they once were? Were they simply stripped of their family names when they were turned into the monsters they were today?

"Professor Rainart," Jaune nodded courteously as he approached the desk.

The man seemed content with letting whatever work he was doing take a backseat, giving his full attention to Jaune. "How are you, boy?"

The fact that Hazel asked how he was doing helped to put Jaune's mind at ease. It helped to confirm that the man did indeed not appear to be that bad of a guy. Maybe, just maybe, he would honor Jaune's request.

"I'm... okay," he said hesitantly. He thought back to the other night. Movie night.

The way that Ruby had seemed to hold him just a little bit tighter that night. How she had slipped one of her legs between his own as they went to sleep...

Another grunt acknowledged his response. "You're early, and your usual posse isn't present. Is there something I can help you with?"

Hazel was perceptive. He had to give the man that. Normally Jaune did walk into class with Ruby and Weiss practically hanging from him. Sometimes even literally too. As it turned out, the redhead had quite an appetite for piggyback rides. Knowing how they ate, he wouldn't doubt it if she would also have an appetite for actual pig's backs.

"I, um, was wondering if you could maybe do me a favor," he asked nervously.

He hoped that Hazel wouldn't immediately rebuke him. That he would be correct about the man's humanity. That he wouldn't turn out to be the worst teacher of them all. After all, they said that it was always the quiet ones who were ticking time bombs waiting to explode.

Hazel stood up, his massive form towering over Jaune as he stepped out from behind his desk. "And that is?"

Jaune took a deep breath. Here it goes. "I was wondering if it would be possible to get in touch with my family," he said softly. Blue eyes couldn't even look up at Hazel's face for fear that he would lose his nerve. "Just a scroll call. Or a letter. Something to just let them know I'm okay. That I'm still alive. After all, they think I'm at a huntsman academy..."

Teeth sank into his lower lip as he awaited Hazel's response. He felt like a man on trial awaiting the jury's verdict. Only in this case, Hazel was not only the jury, but the judge and executioner as well. Knowing this place, the last one could very well turn out to be literal.

It was the heavy sigh which came from Hazel's lips which caused Jaune to look up at him again. Now it was Hazel who looked away. "Family," he said. His tone sounded tired. "You do have a family, don't you?"

Dare he hold out hope? Did his words actually make an impact on the hulking man?

"Yes, sir," he confirmed. "Seven sisters and my parents. They know I'm attending a huntsman academy. So if they don't hear from me for months..."

"They might think you're dead," Hazel finished for him.

Jaune nodded. "Yeah."

A massive hand came to rest upon the desk, and Hazel continued to look anywhere but at Jaune. "Died in a training exercise, perhaps," he mused.

It was an oddly specific, but very realistic explanation. "Yeah, something like that," Jaune agreed.

The boy had always known that dying in such a manner was a real possibility. After all, huntsmen and huntresses knowingly and willingly put themselves in the line of fire for the good of the people of Remnant. However, Jaune had never realized just how dangerous the profession was. He had been so wrapped up in the idea of being a hero and living up to his family name that he never was able to truly comprehend what he would have been facing.

What a naive fool he had been.

Living at this academy for weeks now, having been exposed to the very beasts he would have been slaying as a huntsman, Jaune realized how woefully unprepared he would have been. He had come with only the sword and armor provided to him by his family. No Aura. No Semblance. No training. This place, ironically, had given him all three. The very creatures and people he would have been fighting were teaching him how to become a competent warrior.

Life truly was strange sometimes.

"You may send them a letter," Hazel finally said, breaking the deafening silence which had settled over them. "One letter. It will be read over by myself to ensure that you do not alert them to your true situation."

The terms were understandable. They were more than agreeable. It was the best thing Jaune could have hoped for outside of a face to face conversation over the CCT Network. "Thank you, Professor. This means more to me than you can imagine."

"Being able to speak to your loved ones again is something that I can imagine all too well," the man said cryptically.

A tiny smile crept onto Jaune's face. He felt a strange sense of camaraderie with Hazel now. As it turned out, the man did understand where Jaune was coming from. "What about you, Professor Rainart? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Once."

In an instant that sense of warmth was replaced by a chill of lightning striking down his spine. "Oh. I-I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Another grunt sounded from Hazel's throat. "Take a seat. Your classmates will be arriving shortly."

Jaune looked up to the clock and saw that it was indeed nearly time for class. Weiss would likely be the first one in, given her desire to thrive and succeed above all else. Ruby would probably be close behind, eager to reunite with her wayward roommate. Yang, Blake, and the rest would filter in at some point. From there it would just be another day of classes. Another ordinary day in this unordinary place.

Knowing that he had stepped into uncomfortable territory with Hazel, Jaune didn't say another word as he turned and retreated away from the teacher's desk. He didn't want to risk what he had gained here today. The opportunity to send a letter back home. To let his family know that for the time being at least, he was alive and well. He had to think of all of the things he wanted to tell them.

After all, there may never be an opportunity for a second letter.

* * *

"I know what I promised."

Jaune hated this. He knew what he had said, but this wasn't what he wanted to do. He hated lying to people he felt close to, he hated being the center of attention and he absolutely hated having to feel like his every move and action was being judged so totally. That the slightest misstep would get him killed, just like that.

"So where do we begin?"

Jaune sighed. They were in an auxiliary room of the prison-like castle. They being himself, the elegant and refined Weiss, the powerful, built Yang, the small, cute Ruby and...well, he couldn't see the last one. He didn't even know she was actually there. But he didn't doubt she was. Somewhere, in this largely bare room, Blake was there. Watching. Waiting.

For what? Jaune had no answer. The girls had cornered Jaune and dragged him off for 'human lessons', how to properly maintain a human form. Though Yang, of course, did not seem terribly interested in the lessons themselves.

"I just like watching you squirm. Plus, you have excellent taste in porn, so I know you're alright!"

Jaune grimaced. "I didn't even have anything to do with th-ack!"

Yang cut him off with a hearty backslap, cushioned by his Aura. He managed not to stumble as she laughed. "Like I'm going to give credit to the great white twig! Take the compliment, big boy."

Weiss in particular did not seem to enjoy the descriptor. "I have plenty where it counts, boorish swine."

A glint entered Yang's eyes, the larger girl stalking toward Weiss. Weiss drew back, glaring at the blonde. "What were you mumbling to yourself on the couch last night, Weiss-Queen? Something about a certain fishy-boy ripping you up inside?"

Weiss let out a disgruntled noise but did not refute the claim.

"Then I have an idea. To show Jaune just how well his training works," Yang looked back to Jaune with heavy lidded red eyes, "How about we shed these oppressive clothes. You show him what's on the outside, tempt him to go hog wild on those insides of yours."

Weiss turned on Yang, her index finger nearly poking Yang's nose. "Now you listen here you degenerate! When I grace Jaune with my bare flesh, it will be at a time and place of my own choosing!"

Jaune blinked. When? Weiss let out a yelp, distracting him, as Yang tried to bite the protruding finger.

"But Weiss, if he can't see as much of you as possible, how can he judge if we're properly following his instructions? How do we know you haven't been faking it this whole time, and can't actually hold a human guise fully?"

Weiss let out another indignant noise, Jaune turning away from the two bickering. Ruby was leaning against the corner, arms crossed. Her black skeletal hand was drumming along her fleshbound limb.

"Are they always like this?"

Ruby groaned. "You have no idea. Ever since we were kids, Weiss and Yang have been competing with each other. I swear sometimes I think _they're_ the sisters!"

Jaune did wonder about that. How did Ruby know she and Yang were sisters again? "So why haven't they, you know..." He wasn't sure how to phrase it. He had seen both of them spar now. Neither was relenting, both would put down the weaker foe. "...sparred?"

Ruby blinked. "They've sparred plenty. Who wins usually comes down to who hits the other first. Typically what really matters is why they're sparring."

He turned his head, confusion clear. "But they're both still alive."

Ruby laughed. "Oh, Jaune, we don't have to kill people we spar with. Yang and Weiss, they don't hate each other."

The yelling from the corner increased in pitch.

"I've honestly never seen friendlier hybrids than the two of them." Jaune blinked as Ruby spoke, wondering if she had the same definition of 'friendly' as him. "If you ask me, they can be downright affectionate with each other."

"And your breasts are so great that you can't even see your own ugly feet! Who would ever want that!"

"Yeah, well at least I don't have to have such a pert ass, so tight that you could bounce a human money coin off of it!"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Just hug already!"

A simultaneous "No!" was the response. Shaking her head, she turned back to Jaune. "See what I mean? So embarrassing!"

Jaune stared at the younger girl. "I don't understand any of you."

"We have come to an agreement!"

The voice of Weiss called his attention immediately, Ruby perking up as she hopped to his side. Weiss and Yang were side by side, arms on their hips. Yang was smiling ear to ear, a dark shade dusting Weiss's angry expression. Was she blushing?

"As I have discoursed with the annoying sow with far too thick hair that she cannot take care of properly," Weiss took a breath, "We will strip to our undergarments. To properly determine just how well we manage 'looking human.' I think it is preposterous, but if it helps to prove my superior figure so be it."

Before Jaune could properly break down what Weiss had just said, Yang spoke up. "As the lady of no stature and less class said, we're stripping. So enjoy the show there lover boy, and be sure to pay us back in kind."

He blinked. "This is crazy. Ruby tell them, this is stupid!" Silence followed by the sound of ruffling clothes drew his increasingly worried attention. "...Ruby?"

Ruby looked at him, cape already off and in her hands, with a gaze that he hadn't quite seen before on her face. Her cheeks were darkened, like Weiss and she seemed to be eyeing him like a meal. A bright smile graced her features.

"I don't know, it sounds fun!" Her eyes narrowed as her grin widened. "Let's give it a shot."

What was with these hybrids and their aversion to clothes! Ruby liked sleeping nude before he stopped her. Apparently Yang sometimes 'forgot' to wear a shirt at all! And now they were all just going to willingly strip to show off their humanity?

Jaune's head whipped around to Weiss, his one bastion of sanity. "Come on, you have to agree this is-!" Only to be cut off as her dress hit the ground, pony tail whipping up. Though she was wearing underwear, it was extremely pale white, nearly blending in with her very skin. It was almost as if she was wearing nothing at all.

Weiss glared at him, crossing her arms. "What! Don't stare at me, servant!"

"Yeah, Jaune," Yang's voice caught him by surprise. Looking over, he was immediately reminded that the blonde girl had amazing... assets. "Turn that lustful gaze somewhere more appreciating."

The boy stumbled back, heart pounding in his chest. This was almost too much. Yang he had seen in the buff before, in a much more intimate setting, but Weiss. Weiss was something else. Her lithe form, powerful but compact, had coiled itself against his own in the dead of night. Heat rose uncontrollably as he stumbled another step back. Into something soft.

Ruby giggled. "Come on!" Equally as stark as her sister, Jaune's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "It's your turn!"

It didn't matter how many times he had seen the soft, wonderfully smooth body of Ruby. He could probably see her, Weiss and Yang undressed every day for the rest of his life and he would never get used to it. Raising his hands, Jaune started to back away.

"I never agreed to this."

Weiss snorted. "As if your compliance was needed."

Ruby giggled again, running one of her horns along his arm. "Come on Jaune, we won't bite."

Yang's horns slid in around his neck, one on either side, her breath coming in hot and heavy on his back. "Not unless you ask."

Jaune, unsure if he even wanted to fight this, opened his mouth again. Whatever words of defiance he had died in his throat as the feeling of the third horn, belonging to Weiss, sent shivers up his back. Digging in under his beloved hoodie and the shirt he wore beneath it, Weiss lifted the garment up. Ruby, moving in tandem with her, hooked it between her two horns, Yang moving back long enough to let the two toss the articles of clothing into a heap on the side.

Yang quickly took her place again, now pushing Jaune forward against the wall, pressing her upper body against his. He tried desperately to ignore the soft, burning hot feeling of her body against his own. Weiss eyed his belt, Ruby already moving down to get to work, when he quickly undid his pants and, working around Yang as best he could, kicked out of them.

Breaking free of Yang, in only his boxers for modesty, Jaune clapped. "Okay! Okay!" He had to take back control of the situation. "Okay." Gulping, his throat dry as any desert you could name, he tried not to let his gaze linger too long on any girl. Nor on their own naked appraisal of his body. The unashamed lust of Yang, the burning judgment of Weiss, and what could only be described as pure hunger of Ruby.

Clasping his hands together, Jaune tried to pull things back. "So, I think I know," his head was spinning. This was too much. "I think, uh."

"Shouldn't we go to our human forms?" Weiss rose her hand like she was in class.

Jaune nodded absentmindedly. "Yes, that makes..."

He immediately regretted his words. Warm color overtook monstrous flesh, Yang's horns becoming half their length, her frightening arm vanishing away entirely. Blonde hair flared brighter for Yang and in order, red eyes faded to lilac, icy blue and sterling silver. They were gorgeous in their true hybrid forms. Now, it was something else entirely. He knew, even if Yang hadn't let out a wolf whistle, that his 'lower horn' was standing at proud, pained attention. His breathing came in shallow bursts.

Ruby still had trouble getting her horns to vanish, something Yang mirrored. Jaune tried to focus on that, the slight imperfections. The stuff he could help them with. He looked at Weiss to judge her fully and found nothing. She was, regrettably, flawless.

"How long, um, can you- are you. How long are you able to hold your human form, Weiss?"

Weiss tilted her head, reminding Jaune so much of a puppy. A very sexy puppy. A very sexy puppy that thought that it knew more than it did and made him want to just push her up against a wall and- This metaphor was quickly getting out of hand.

"Around two hours. Give or take. Yet when we're infiltrating, we'll need to hold our forms for much longer."

Yang nodded. "Weissboard is right. At Beacon, we'll have to stick around humans for extended periods of time. It's going to suck so much!" Her arm then exploded into her Grimm-limb, Yang clutching at it as if trying to hug her own arm. "I love my baby so much! I can't bear to keep him away for so long."

"...Him?" Jaune knew a story was there.

Yang nodded again. "Yeah! My arm is a fusion of two Beringels or something! That was my mutation. Semi-sentient, capable of acting on his own for my best interests, he's the best!"

Jaune knew that term. Beringel, that was something Watts had referred to. A type of Grimm. The gorilla? Jaune looked over at Ruby and where her skeletal arm normally was. Already she was losing her human parlor. "So your different limbs are actually some subset of Grimm?"

Ruby looked oddly defensive about that. "Well, yeah, but don't worry about that!"

Weiss let out a haughty laugh, distracting Jaune. "This is why I am the superior child. I am the only hybrid to be dipped into the pools of rebirth and emerge nearly as flawless as Salem."

Yang snorted. "Yeah, you and Cardin. Fat lot of good it did him."

Weiss glared at her blonde companion. "Do not insinuate that I am anything like that boar. Unlike him, I am a perfectly capable of defending myself against the likes of you."

This back and forth made Jaune remember something. Something about Cardin and Yang? He could have sworn overhearing something about it when he and his group had surrounded Weiss, though Ruby had been talking his ear off. "Yang, Cardin, and you. Do you have a history?"

All three of the girls present began to laugh, unnerving Jaune. It wasn't often to hear them share in joy. Ruby was the one to answer first. "Just check him out in the locker room some time. You'll get it."

"He tried to get fresh with me, so I put him in his place." Yang had her human hand on her still very bare hip, a smug grin on her face.

Jaune looked back at Weiss. "She's who you picked up fresh from, isn't it?"

Weiss harrumphed and looked away, refusing to confirm or deny. Jaune shook his head. These three. What was he going to do? In between the laughter and shared joy, Jaune noticed something. Ruby's color had returned, and if he wasn't mistaken, her horns had shrunk as well.

His eyes widened.

"Ruby! You're looking more human!"

Ruby jumped back in surprise. "What? I am? Is it contagious!"

"That's a good thing, you bolt!" Weiss snapped.

"I'm not a screw!"

Jaune sighed. "She meant dolt." Weiss opened her mouth to chew him out. "You meant dolt, don't you back talk me!" Settling for a glare, Weiss closed her mouth again. He'd be hearing more from her later.

"What's a dolt?"

"It's a person you greatly admire." Yang was quick to respond.

"Thank you, Weiss! You're my dolt too!"

"Don't you dolt me!"

"You can't get away from my dolting!"

Jaune stared as the two began to chase each other like children, arguing playfully back and forth. Yang slid up next to him, nodding at them.

"Disgusting to look at, aren't they?"

Jaune shook his head. Hybrids. Only, he realized, Ruby's horns were gone entirely. In their playing and sharing of positive emotions, she had mastered her human form. His eyes widened, opening his mouth to call out to her, when Yang put a heavy arm around his shoulder.

"Don't point it out. Weiss is too thick and Ruby won't get it yet. You got it though, big boy. The more human you feel, the more human you can appear. Neat trick, innit?"

He looked back at her. "How long have you known?"

"Few years. Having something to care for, it changes you. Even if you hate it, you can't help it. It's why I was allowed to go on a minor mission, where I picked up my baby shotgun. Oh you should have seen Weissy's face. She hasn't cracked it yet, see, doesn't know that I can look perfectly human if I tried. She brute forces her way into it like she does with everything.

He wanted to laugh. Like Yang had any right to accuse anyone of utilizing brute force to achieve her goals.

"Stubborn as a mule, that one." Yang eyed him top to bottom. "I'd love to hear how you figured it out. And when."

Jaune's mouth dried out again, made worse as Yang pulled him closer. The warmth of her body radiated off of her in waves, clouding his brain. That was, until the splash of ice water that was Blake's bladed tentacle hit him full bore, running from the back of his head down to his left leg. Turning quickly, Blake was there.

Just, standing there. Tentacle retracting, Blake wasn't hiding at all. She wasn't in some distant corner or stuffed somewhere she couldn't possibly have fit. Her robe hung loose around her frame, shifting from one leg to the other. One cat ear twitched as she waved at Jaune.

"Can I show you my human form?"

Something about those words were ominous. They hung, pregnant, ready to burst with some unknown terror. Jaune noticed that Yang had stepped away. Tentatively he nodded.

A slight haze of purple overtook Blake's form, red eyes dissolving away to bright amber. Horrific scars melted away to soft, pristine flesh, even as the tentacles seemed to also dissolve. It looked different, Jaune realized, than how the other girls changed.

Maybe a side product of her being the newest changed? Before him stood a gorgeous young woman with wild black hair, two black cat ears nestled atop, and a firm, beautiful body partially hidden behind a robe. If he had to be honest, Ruby and Weiss were still prettier to him, but the way her legs filled out from the malnourished sticks that they had been, and the exotic mix of different traits. He couldn't deny she looked good.

More than that, she looked enticing. Alluring. Jaune's breath caught in his throat as she locked eyes with him. They arrested him, drew him. Everything about her filled his head with a purple haze. Without meaning to, without wanting to, Jaune took a shaky step towards the woman. He couldn't stop himself. She was so, something about her was so, just, he couldn't even blink. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

She would be Heaven to touch. He wanted to hold her, to embrace her. Thank the gods he was alive to witness such beauty. A quivering hand reached out for her pristine cheek-

Only for Yang to snatch him away with her giant limb! Jaune started to yell at her, taking him so roughly and suddenly, when 'Blake' vanished. From within what he had thought was Blake came the all too familiar tentacles, shattering the illusion before him. Yang was growling as the true Blake burst forward, still as monstrous as ever.

"You always ruin my fun!"

Yang snarled at her in response. "He's not your meal!"

"He was coming to me willingly!" Blake snapped her tentacled limb against the ground, digging a deep groove.

"Your shadow clone was bewitching him! Just like any other prey you come across with that damned Semblance of yours!"

A keening laughter filled the air. "Don't be jealous, Yang, just because he's far more interested in my perfect flesh."

"Excuse yourself?"

The voice of Weiss cut through the air like a knife as she stepped in between the two. "If there's anyone perfect around here, it will be me in time. You, faunus freak? You're not even worthy to polish my throne."

Blake gurgled with laughter. "Keep calling me names, princess. You only make me hunger more. Unlike you, I don't have to work to get his attention. All I have to do is show a little leg and my Jaune there comes drooling for a piece. Little underdeveloped thing like you," suddenly, to Jaune's utter horror, Blake was behind Weiss. The Blake that had been talking to her faded away like shadows. "He would just break you in half. I could do that for him, if you'd like."

Blake hissed as a red cape wrapped around her head. Ruby jumped past, dragging Blake out the door with her. Sending the hybrid flailing into the darkened hallway, which Jaune was certain had been lit when they had come here, Ruby put her cape back on with a flourish.

"Stay out!" Looking back to Jaune, she smiled. "Sorry about that. Any time Blake flares up her Aura, she gets a bit weird."

Jaune nodded dumbly. Blake had Aura? She could be weirder? He prayed to never find out what that meant. "I think we're done for today."

Weiss was staring at the ground as Yang and Ruby were getting dressed. Jaune couldn't help himself, approaching her. "You okay there," he lowered his voice to a whisper so Yang couldn't hear. "Snow Angel?"

"I need to go speak with someone."

That was all she said before collecting her garments and leaving. Jaune watched, unsure what to say. He wasn't even sure what was wrong with her. Still, he learned something valuable today. To be able to remain in human form, they had to embrace more human emotions. That, that could be the key to everything.

* * *

It felt like déjà vu for Weiss. Not for the first time this week, she was off to see a teacher. Off for another private lesson of sorts. The first had led to the second. She hoped that it would be equally as productive.

Professor Fall was the academy's authority when it came to infiltrating the human kingdoms. With infiltration came a number of specific skills and methods. Seduction happened to be on that list. It was appropriate for a young and beautiful woman like Cinder. It was equally as appropriate for an even younger and more beautiful hybrid like Weiss.

Weiss still remembered the way Jaune had looked at her the first day they met. When he had gazed upon her perfect human form in the cafeteria. She also remembered the way he had stared at Blake in her own human form.

It was utterly unacceptable. His eyes should have been for her, and her alone.

After their most recent tutoring lesson together, it was clear to Weiss that she was falling behind. It was clear that she had to increase her level of aggression. If there was one thing she knew she was fully capable of, it was being proactive. Her status as the top student in the academy reflected this.

Not that it was a competition or anything! Weiss knew that she was undoubtedly the most skilled and attractive hybrid in existence. That included Blake and her tentacles. Yang and her monstrous arm. Her beauty came from her natural body alone. There were no physical flaws nor enhancements on her. No artificial pieces tainted her. Her perfect form rivaled that of even Salem herself.

However, it was clear that she still had much to learn. That didn't bother her, as she was attending this academy for a reason. She was here to learn. To become the very best she could be. If that meant taking time out of her day to visit a teacher in order to add to her fountain of information, then she was willing to do just that.

Weiss clutched the movie against her chest as she neared Cinder's quarters. There were many questions that she had about it. Not the first being, was there more of it? More true stories about human plumbers and faunus homeowners working out creative payment plans for his services? But perhaps that was a question best asked for Professor Callows. He after all was the provider of movies to the students. At least to her and the late Nolan.

Her fist lightly knocked on the door, and Weiss took a step back. Her head and her horn were held high in anticipation for her upcoming conversation. A conversation about seduction. About mating. Topics broached in the movie, but ones they had not discussed in class yet. Cinder would know all about it. Cinder would be able to teacher her everything she needed to know.

The door opened to reveal the raven-haired woman. Burning golden eyes looked down on her, betraying no emotion as usual. Cinder held no reverence for the children of Salem. She was cold and pragmatic, traits which Weiss felt that she could admire. Ruthless efficiency spoke to her far more than games and theatrics.

"Weiss," Cinder greeted. "How may I help you?"

"Professor Fall," Weiss began as she adjusted her posture. Her back was straight and her shoulders were stiff as she gazed up at the taller woman. "I wish to speak to you about an important matter."

A pause and a breath later, Cinder nodded once. "Very well. Please, come in."

Weiss followed the woman inside to find a simple room. Weiss approved of her manner of living. There were no personal trinkets or decorations. No clutter. No excessive furniture or possessions. Just the basics. A bed and a dresser. A desk and a chair. Cinder led her over to said chair, and motioned for her to take a seat.

"Now then," the woman continued. "Does this have anything to do with our lessons?"

"It does."

"And it couldn't have waited for tomorrow?"

Weiss shook her head. "No. It does not concern the current material we are covering."

"Oh?" Cinder asked, sounding a tad bit more interested than before. "Do tell."

With a soft nod, Weiss held up the movie Tyrian had given to her for Cinder to see. "I wish to learn more about this," she stated with absolute certainty and confidence.

A pair of bright eyes widened for a split second, and a sudden spike in negativity radiated from her professor. "Tyrian," she growled.

"Yes," Weiss confirmed. "Professor Callows provided me with this learning material. I was hoping that you would maybe be able to... explain certain things in it."

Cinder pinched the bridge of her nose. "Learning material," she whispered incredulously. "If you're asking me to watch that movie with you, I'm afraid I must decline."

Weiss was fine with that. After all, she had already watched it twice herself. There was no need for a further viewing. "That is perfectly fine. I was merely wondering if you could... properly go over the act of human mating with me. You are after all the academy's expert on the subject."

The woman's nose wrinkled. "Mating?" she asked. "I was under the impression that you and Jaune were already participating in... how did you phrase it? Personal one on one activities together."

They were indeed. Cooking breakfast with Jaune was one of her favorite daily activities. Still though, it had nothing to do with the subject at hand. "Oh yes, very much so," Weiss confirmed. "Every morning. While he is quite good at satisfying my hunger, sometimes we wish to try new things as well. Especially with Ruby now joining us."

Another surge of negative emotions came off of Cinder, causing Weiss' attention to focus entirely on her rather than the movie in her hands. "You and Ruby with him... at the same time?"

"Yes. To be honest, it is quite irritating for her to intrude on my personal time with Jaune. However, he finds time to scramble both of our eggs."

"Does he now... it must be quite exhausting."

"He knows his place," Weiss stated haughtily. "And he knows that if I leave unsatisfied then I shall impale him with my horn."

"I had no idea he was interested in that kind of play."

"I wouldn't call him interested," the hybrid clarified. "Naturally he doesn't enjoy a stiff poking, however certain steps must be taken to remind him of his place in the grand order of things."

Horn duel or not, her displays of dominance were still important. From day one she had figured out that he did not enjoy her horn pokes. And who would? It was a long, sharp, and glorious horn capable of skewering both humans and hybrids alike. The fact that Jaune had never done anything to counter or stop her attacks only made her realize one thing. He feared her horn. He was beneath her in the pecking order. He was hers to dominate. Official or not, he belonged to her. Not to Blake. Not to Ruby. No one but her.

And she would take what was hers.

"Enough!" Cinder said suddenly, raising her hands to emphasize the word. The negativity radiating from her was palpable. Weiss wondered why. "Weiss," she continued said softly after collecting herself. "If you, Jaune, and even Ruby are already participating in these sorts of... activities, then what further advice do you need from me?"

It was embarrassing to say the least, but Weiss might have been a little bit wrong on the exact details when it came to mating. Yang had explained to her what was going on in the movie once Ruby and Jaune had left them, but Weiss was still a little bit fuzzy on the specifics. It was why she was here speaking to Cinder at this very moment.

"I am led to believe that mating is an act where a man repeatedly stabs his partner with his lower horn, correct?"

She didn't quite know how to gauge Cinder's reaction. The woman exhaled and turned, moving to stand next to the window. "I possess half a maiden's powers, and this is what I've been reduced to..."

Weiss didn't know what a maiden was, but it sounded important. She tilted her head curiously. "Professor?"

Cinder turned back to gaze upon her student. A slight shake of her head later, she continued. "Nothing, Weiss. Nothing. Yes, you are... correct in your depiction of mating. Or as humans call it, sex. The... lower horn, as you put it, is called a penis. It is important that you remember these names for when you are living among humans."

Penis? What an odd word. Regardless, Weiss took the advice to heart. It was indeed important to be able to mimic human behavior. As the undisputed Master of Slang among her peers, she would be certain to remember the penis.

"I understand this part of the process. But how does this act result in the creation of a child? Is so much damage done by the lower- by the penis that the female's healing system becomes confused and constructs a whole new version of herself, fearing that there has been too much damage done to the body to save it?"

For several seconds Cinder stared at her. For several more seconds she merely blinked. Perhaps her teacher was impressed by her deductive reasoning abilities? After all, guessing correctly on the first try was an impressive enough feat for anyone. Even the top student in the academy.

"I suppose it makes sense that you were never properly taught about the birds and the bees..." Cinder said with a sigh. "But why sexual education falls upon me..."

"There are birds involved?" Weiss asked confusedly. Then it hit her. It all made perfect sense. She had been correct all along. "Of course! The snipe!"

"Snipe?"

Weiss nodded forcefully. "Yes. Now where do the bees fit into this?"

This was fascinating new information. Weiss was ecstatic that she had been correct about the snipe being a part of the mating process. But bees? Like Lancers? She had no idea how they fit into the equation.

"Weiss," Cinder started slowly. She sounded tired. The way she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples with her fingers seemed to confirm the hybrid's suspicions. "It would seem that we really need to have a proper talk about this. One that does not involve the material covered in... that," she nodded to the movie Weiss held.

Weiss clutched it closer to her chest, fearing that Cinder did not approve of it. That she might take the wonderful documentary away from her. What was wrong with it, anyway? It was a perfect depiction of human society and mating, after all. If the contents of that movie weren't educational, she didn't know what was.

"I would very much enjoy a proper lesson," Weiss agreed eagerly. "Shall we begin now?"

A hand came up, silencing Weiss before she could ask any further questions. "No. No, not now. Soon, though. I have... disciples who would be better with this conversation than myself. Yes. Real, actual human teenagers that serve me who would be more than willing to speak to you about... this."

Weiss felt her heart swell. Humans her own age who would be willing to help her learn more about the sex? What a dream come true! "Thank you, Professor Fall. I understand that you are already quite busy with your own work, so I would be honored if your disciples would aid us in this matter."

"Indeed. Now until they arrive, let us not speak of this matter again. After all, we must focus on the current curriculum."

Cinder was correct. As much as she wanted to learn more about the human mating process, for _strictly educational purposes_ only, there was indeed the regular material to focus on.

"Thank you for your time, Professor," Weiss said with a polite bow. "I look forward to meeting your associates."

"And I'm sure they will be absolutely thrilled to meet you for this... conversation."

Weiss nodded, and prepared to turn and leave. "Have a good night, Professor."

A tired hum was what she received in return. Cinder must have been tired. Weiss felt a little bit bad about disturbing her.

However, there was a new spring in her step as she left the woman's room an strode down the hall. Ever thirsty for knowledge, Weiss had arranged to learn even more. To learn more than Ruby, Blake, and even Yang! And with that newfound knowledge she would... she would...

She didn't quite know what she would do with that knowledge once she learned it. All she knew was that she wanted to learn. Knowledge was power, after all. That was what Professor Watts always said.

Power to dominate. Power to be in control. Even over the strongest of her peers.

The Faunus Fever movie was still gripped tightly in her tiny hands. Perhaps she should pay Professor Callows another visit soon. She desired more educational material. Another movie night would be fun.

Then again, even if she viewed it alone there was still so much knowledge that could be gleaned from it.

* * *

What a productive day it had been!

Ruby was finishing up drying herself after stepping out of the shower. She was nice and clean, smelling like some sort of strange flower thanks to the shampoo she used. It was pleasant enough, and Jaune had agreed when she had asked about it. If he thought it smelled good, then she would continue using it.

She on the other hand much preferred natural smells. The natural smell of his body in particular was nice. It was one of the reasons she loved snuggling up so close to him when they slept. His wonderful aroma. His strong arms around her made her feel warm. Safe. Secure. She couldn't understand why it made her feel good. After all, she was an apex predator. She had no enemies which were a true threat to her. Even the strongest of her peers like Yang and Weiss would never actually desire to kill her. Yet on some sort of primal level, the protective embrace of her bestie and roomie made her feel good.

There were times when he gave off particularly strong scents, often when there were extremely violent or stressful situations taking place. She wondered if it was some sort of natural pheromone produced by the body as a result to the fight or flight response kicking in.

After dressing herself in her underwear and his old shirt, Ruby stepped out into their room to see Jaune sitting at the desk. A pen was in his hand, writing something down on a sheet of paper.

She crept up behind him, her soft feet making no sound on the hardwood floor. "Whatcha doing?" she asked as she peered over his shoulder.

He jumped slightly in surprise at the sound of her voice. Setting the pen down, he turned back to look up at her. "Just writing a letter to my mom-"

For some reason he cut himself off after uttering that last word. His blue eyes went wide for a fraction of a second, and he turned back away from her.

Ruby's tongue darted out to wet her lips. That familiar scent of his had seemed to spike in intensity again.

"Mom?" she asked curiously, before it finally struck her. "Oh, you mean Salem."

After a few seconds of silence, she saw the back of his head move as he nodded. "Yeah. Salem," he agreed.

Salem was all of their mothers, after all, so it was only natural for him to refer to her as such.

Ruby wondered what it was about. Perhaps he wanted to ask something of her, and this was the only way he could do so. Salem was a very busy lady, after all. The downfall of humanity wouldn't just orchestrate itself.

"What are you writing to her about?" she asked. Bare feet shuffled nervously behind him. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

She could always just peer over his shoulder and read the contents of the letter herself, but that would have been rude. An intrusion of her best friend, roommate, and cuddle buddy's privacy.

Jaune took the paper and folded it in half, preventing her from seeing what was on it even if she was so inclined to do so. "Just..." he started hesitantly. "Telling her how I feel. How I'm doing. How much I care about her."

Ruby couldn't stop the smile from erupting on her face. What a kind gesture to the woman who had given them this life. "That's so nice, Jaune!" she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her chest against his back. "I'm sure she'll love it!"

Salem really was so great. So strong. So intelligent. She had to be, living as long as she had. The only reason humanity still stood was because she so graciously allowed it. If she wanted to, she could easily wipe them off the face of the planet. Yet she allowed them to live, hoping that they would one day see her true greatness and willingly serve her. Some had already done so, like the professors in this academy. The others would learn in time. Whether they had to be forced or not.

"Maybe I should write a letter too," she continued. "That sounds like a really fun idea."

Jaune turned back, peering up at her with hopeful eyes. "It does?"

"Yeah! I could tell her how much I love and admire her. I'm sure she'd love hearing that from her children."

He continued to stare at her, and soon his parted lips curled up into a small smile of their own. "You know what, Ruby? I think that's a great idea too."

She nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Do you have any more paper?"

The boy stood up, and motioned over to a small stack of blank paper sitting on the edge of the desk. "Plenty. You should definitely think about all the things you love and treasure in this world. Things you love. _People_ who you love. Like Yang."

It was strange. Ruby knew that she should hate the concept of love. She should hate the very word. Love, after all, was a positive quality. Lust would have been a far more appropriate term to use. Lust was selfish. A base desire which spoke to hybrids on a primal level.

Yet, love didn't seem so bad. Love in fact seemed good. Was it because of her condition?

Or was it because of who had said it?

In any case, she would do just that. She would tell Salem just how much she loved and appreciated her.

"That's a great idea," she agreed. "Salem's gonna get the best letters ever from us!"

Jaune nodded. "Yup. It's really going to help out with our lessons too. We're trying to act more human, after all. What better way than to think about all the people we love?"

He was right. No wonder he was one of the top students in the school.

Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder and urged her to sit in the seat he had just been occupying. "We should all do it. Weiss too, when she gets back. Even Blake and Yang. We should all start to... find our inner humanity. And I think these letters are a great start."

Ruby nodded excitedly. "Yeah! This is going to be so much fun! I have so much on my mind right now, I can't wait to get it all on paper!"

She really did, too. It wasn't just the love for Salem she felt in her heart. It was emotion she felt for her big sister. For Weiss, even if the other girl would never admit to being her friend. The amount of time they had spent together over the past several weeks cemented it in her mind. Weiss could talk a big game, but the fact that she hung around with Ruby all day every day proved that her positivity wasn't _that_ big of a determent.

And then there was Jaune. A boy who had become her first friend. Her best friend. Her roommate. And... maybe more?

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So we have some new cover art, drawn by the very talented **RKS-Kogiro**. You should definitely check out their work for more awesome RWBY art. The piece was commissioned by **Lightningstrxu** and myself, and the pose was Lightning's idea. So if you want to thank him, you should definitely go read some of his stuff. His Dragonslayer story **Last Resort** just updated today. What a perfect opportunity!

Anyway, this chapter was a lot of fun to do. A lot was learned, and a lot was set up. The upcoming chapters are going to be really... exciting.

As always my thanks go out to Lightning and **Burkion** for their continued support. Their help and influence are the only reason these chapters continue to come out on a weekly basis.

And of course, my thanks go out to all of you for continuing to read and review. I truly appreciate you all. I hope you enjoyed it.


	12. Chapter 12

It had been a few days since. Weeks? Jaune couldn't be sure. The hours blurred along at a dizzying pace, a steady routine appearing before him. Wrapping him up and letting him lose himself in this life of his. Sending the letter to his family lifted a weight off of his shoulders, helping free him from the choking miasma that had clouded his vision. A set routine settled in.

First he would wake up, often due to the antics of Ruby or sometimes Weiss. Then it would be time to make breakfast, typically after dealing with some kind of misunderstanding. Weiss was improving as a cook, so long as she was closely watched. Classes would follow. He had been pitted against Ruby in Tyrian's class, but the 'match' became more of a game of tag. If Tyrian was upset by this, Jaune wasn't aware.

Hazel had been instructing them in proper human hand to hand, Jaune feeling stronger and stronger as the days went by. Watts frequently paired him with Yang, presumably to tutor the girl. Wiser than she looked, yes, but she still had very little in the way of book learning. Not that Jaune was much better off. Cinder seemed to avoid his gaze, he wasn't sure why. After classes, Weiss would sometimes disappear for 'personal research', whatever that entailed. She'd always return eyeing him oddly before taking her turn in the shower. Some nights she would be especially clingy.

Blake still hung around. Slinking here, stalking there. He wasn't sure where she was at present, but he had found several dead birds in his locker, arranged in the shape of a heart. He'd consider it sweet, if he wasn't concerned about where she had managed to find said birds. Today was special, Tyrian had mentioned an important lesson was coming up. For Jaune though, that didn't matter as much as his training with Ruby after. She was making great strides and they were so close to a break through.

Just a bit more of a push. That's all she needed. A push on his shoulder signaled someone wanted to talk with him. Looking up, he was met with a curious sight. Yang was waiting in the stands, looking bored, pushing his shoulder with her foot.

"Yang?"

"That's the name." She continued to push him with her foot.

"...what are you doing?"

"Being bored." She pushed him harder.

Jaune had half a mind to slap her leg away. "Why aren't you down there?"

She shrugged. "Tyrian didn't want me to go today. Said today would have a special event. Load of bullshit really."

Jaune gritted his teeth as her foot against his shoulder grew in pressure. "So you're going to take it out on me?"

Yang smirked. "What, you going to take yours out on me?"

Jaune blinked. "What does that even- Ruby!"

Suddenly Ruby was by his side, leaping up into the stands. Almost as suddenly, Yang had withdrawn her leg. The elder sister nodded to the younger, who leaned into Jaune's torso. Rubbing her horns on his arm, Ruby looked him in the eye.

"I can't wait to see what happens today after class."

Jaune smiled. "Yup."

Weiss made her presence known by a series of horn pecks to the back of Jaune's neck, Jaune grimacing.

"Hello to you too, Weiss. Finally cleaned up after the BBQ?"

Looking back, he saw that she had not fully accomplished the task. Small dark stains adorned her lips still, even as the haughty hybrid rolled her eyes.

"Of course. You did not tell me that marinating meat in vats of liquid spices would produce such delicious food."

Jaune shrugged. "You weren't supposed to eat that until tonight. The meat was still mostly undercooked and the sauce didn't get to really set in right."

Weiss eyed him critically. "The meat could have tasted better?"

Jaune nodded. "Well, yeah. BBQ is supposed to cook for much-!"

Cut off by Weiss shoving herself into his face, her horn parting his hair and she angled it just enough to miss, Jaune went silent. She was extremely close, her left leg between his own, her smaller body pushing into his to get as close as possible. Yet he could tell she wasn't trying to do anything intimate from the look in her eye.

"You will make this for me. Soon."

Jaune gulped. "Y-yes, ma'am."

A satisfied smirk came to her features, her eyebrow quirking up. A very different look seemed to settle on her face as she leaned in closer.

"Ma'am. I think I could get used to that."

"That's enough of that!" Ruby kicked Weiss in the side, sending the shorter girl off onto the floor.

Weiss surged up, glaring murder at Ruby. "Jaune! Tell her that was unacceptable!"

Jaune froze.

Ruby looked back at Jaune briefly before resuming her glare at Weiss. "Tell her that you won't let her walk all over you like that anymore!"

Jaune realized this, this was the nadir of his time here. This was the lowest point he could have ever reached. Now, now he was going to die. Die without experiencing so much. Without ever getting to see his family again. He knew for a fact, when girls tried to bring you into their argument, you could only lose.

To his utter surprise, his savior was none other than Tyrian himself.

"Now, now Mistresses," came his sing-song voice. "We're all one big happy family here. Save the sparring for the ring."

Weiss and Ruby returned to their spots, Yang cracking up behind him. Jaune didn't even get to let out a breath of relief when Tyrian continued.

"Please, Master Jaune, join us in the center of the ring for a most special occasion."

Ruby clasped him on the arm. "Get out there! You'll do great, especially with how you've been kicking butt in Hazel's class!"

Jaune, stepping into the arena floor, hoped she was right. Most of the hybrids nodded in understanding, though this didn't help Jaune at all. What was the madman doing?

"Today, my beloved student, is what I lovingly refer to as Doubles Round. One hybrid may volunteer, if any so wish, to be your partner. Your lifeline, in a fight against a very unique hybrid." Tyrian was so close to breaking out into a giggle fit, Jaune could almost hear it. "Yang is not allowed. She has already faced these two before now, so nothing new would be learned."

Jaune blinked. Really? Who could have survived fighting Yang? Jaune looked back into the stands, expecting with some dread for Brawnz or Cardin to stand. Neither did. If anything, Cardin looked uneasy. Jaune's eyes narrowed. Why would that be?

"Sky, Russell, if you would be so kind."

Jaune did not know those names. Suddenly, a noise could be heard at the doorway. It sounded like stone cracking. Jaune turned, barely raising his shield in time to block the debris that was sent flying his direction, impacting the shield and driving him back. A low growl, doubled with the sound of a light, groggy moan, helped Jaune clear the stars out of his eyes. To his horror, the hybrids approached through the dust.

Or rather, the hybrid. Most hybrids were mostly flesh, with some Grimm substance making up a limb, or some kind of appendage. This one, the core of their mass was pitch black murk, twisting and writhing with rib bones extending and retracting with every conjoined breath. Three human legs were fused into their lower mass on one side, with two spider-like limbs taking up the slack on the other side. Quivering flesh, an ashen grey rather than the white of a normal hybrid, twisted up along the edges of the black mass that was their torso. Four arms jutted out of the thing's sides and back, but they were not directly attached. Instead they rested at the end of the bubbling mass that was their body, their position changing, shifting.

Two heads, or what was left of their heads, were at different points of their torso. Lower, in the middle of the chest, was the one eyed head of a young man who had once had a mohawk. The remnants of green hair going down a strip of flayed flesh was all that told Jaune this. The other near the top of the mass, to the side of where it should have been, might have been handsome once, but the concave skull and ever split jaw destroyed his visage. The wild red eye of the center head landed on Jaune.

"Flesh. Fresh flesh. To rebuild. To be ours." The skin of their upper arm rippled as ivory claws tore apart their fingers. "Give, us. Flesh."

Terror filled Jaune, his arms shaking. What was this, what in the Gods names was this! Stumbling back, he heard Yang holler from above.

"Hey! I killed those two assholes a while ago! What gives!"

Tyrian flashed a brilliant smile up at Yang. "Our dearest Headmistress, the greatest Goddess Salem, saw fit to give them another chance. If only we should all be so lucky! Of course, you did not leave much of them left to work with, so..."

The top head, what few strands of blue hair clinging to his head whipping around, began to scream skyward. Their topmost left arm convulsed, clawing at their own shoulder mass, blood bubbling up. It then snapped forward, the mass surrounding what had been a neck moving in tandem like a series of cords. No words could issue from its ruined face, only blind gurgling and black bile.

"She made do."

Faster than Jaune could have been prepared for, the hybrid swatted him into a wall. Crying out in pain, Jaune felt the stone crack behind him. His vision went blurry, stars in his eyes, as he fell to the ground. Only for one of the spider legs pointed tips to drive him deeper, the stonework shattering beneath him. Screaming, Jaune felt the limb tear into his aura and batter his spine. Rearing back, the creature dragged Jaune through the ground into the wall, and then immediately up that very well. Tearing a groove through the stone using his body, the top most head twisted in idle fascination, black bile dripping from his ever opened mouth.

Jaune hadn't even drawn his weapons yet when the assault began, as the creature pulled him away from the wall still on the back of one of its legs. The skeletal claws drew back to stab Jaune in the face, he barely managing to grab hold and stop it. Gritting his teeth, Jaune pumped his aura higher, brushing against his semblance. He had to break away. He had to. Pushing the limb back, the Sky-Russell creature drew the limb back the rest of the way. Jaune held tight, allowing himself to be pulled along with it.

Digging his foot into its shoulder, Jaune kicked away. Sadly he was still not the most proficient at landing on his feet, hitting his side hard across the room. Scrambling, Jaune reached for his still holstered sheath. This hybrid was barely coherent, this wasn't a sparring contest at all! He had barely grasped his weapon's hilt when the creature was already on him, ready to rend and tear. That was, until a spiral of white spun through the air. Smashing into the thing's upper head with both feet, pony tail spinning behind her, Weiss made her grand entrance.

"I shall be his partner!"

The Sky-Russell staggered briefly, Weiss summoning her mighty blade from whatever space Grimm stored their weapons. She looked back at Jaune who quickly got to his feet, opening his shield to its full size.

"You better appreciate this. I don't work with just anyone." She flipped her hair for effect.

Jaune smiled through the pain. "You're the best."

Weiss shook her head. "Idiot, I already know that."

Jaune shouted, Weiss leaping away, the creature rushing forward. This time, with both combatants aware that the fight was on, it managed to strike neither of them. Bringing its three human legs up to slam into the wall, the creature kicked off, spinning on its two oversized arachnid limbs. Weiss, snarling, launched herself at the beast, sinking her weapon into its mass, aiming for the center head.

Except the center head jerked away, dragging itself through the muck of its own body as Weiss only pierced Grimm-flesh. Swearing, Weiss had to abandon her weapon as the ribs closed in around her like disjointed teeth, kicking off of the creature. Jaune, making use of her distraction, rushed at the thing from below, aiming to hack its legs in half. What he did not count on was for the creature to be able to multitask, its lowest left arm lashing out.

Skidding back, the slash sparking against his shield, Jaune grimaced. Weiss landed near him, annoyance rolling off of her in waves.

"This thing is too fast."

"Seems kind of unfair." Jaune agreed.

The creature screamed and groaned, grabbing at Weiss' weapon. Pulling it free, hellish red burning within its mangled form, a glint entered the remaining eye it had.

Weiss cocked her hip, pointing at the creature. "I'm going to want that back."

Faster than Weiss could imagine, faster than Jaune could react, the Sky-Russell speared her through the abdomen, throwing her across the room. Her weapon impaled on the far wall through her, her body hanging limp on it, feet off the ground, Weiss' head fell.

Jaune stared in confusion. The Sky-Russell was on him, bringing both of its upper arms swinging down. Jaune barely, dazedly, blocked that with his shield, acting more on instinct than actual desire. What had just happened? Weiss couldn't just be-! The creature brought both of its lower arms up into Jaune's exposed abdomen, driving him into the air only to smack him right back down again with its upper arms.

Jaune landed hard on the ground, his shield falling away. His sword, however, he clung to. A grip that tightened with anger, his entire body quaking as shock gave way to rage.

"How dare you!" Jaune, body burning white as his semblance pushed him as far as he could, screamed. "Why her!"

If the creature gave any sign of comprehension, it could not show it. Yet, some of the hybrids would speak of the confusion shown as Jaune, driving his sword into the undermass of the beast, managed to lift the creature just enough to hurl it into the far wall.

"I will kill you! I will absolutely destroy you! You damned abomination- I won't let you hurt anyone else!"

A mass of jumbled limbs, the creature's heads twisted in confusion at the same time. Yet it surged forward all the same, meeting Jaune's own charge into it. Jaune felt the blows land into his back and side, even as he cleaved into the monster's upper head, obliterating it.

Reeling back, the creature reared back to smash Jaune into the ground once again- only for both of its upper arms to be speared together, behind itself into the wall Jaune had driven it into.

"Thank you..." came the ragged breathing from Weiss, stumbling forward, one hand clutching the gaping wound at her chest. "For giving it back."

Jaune, without missing a beat, plunged his sword forward into the remaining, screaming central head. Driving the blade in to the hilt, he felt the Sky-Russell monster shift around him, trying to grab him and throw him away. So, he twisted the blade, destroying the head utterly.

Like an overripe boil, the mass of the monster's body erupted, covering Jaune in a thick, black ichor. The Grimm flesh burned away as the limbs, and little else, fell to the ground in meaty chunks. Trying to find his breath, he realized Weiss was still alive.

Rushing back, he tried to grab her up into his arms, only for her to push him away.

"I'm fine. This is... nothing." Weiss glared past Jaune at Tyrian. "Nothing!"

Tyrian bowed to his mistress. "Of course. As expected of such a perfected child."

Weiss glowered at the man for a moment longer before turning back to Jaune. "I'm going to our room to shower. You," she dug her finger into the base of his throat. "Owe me one hell of a breakfast for this."

Jaune couldn't keep the smile off of his face, fighting back tears. "Of course. Of course. I'm so sorry, I didn't..."

Weiss shut him up with a whip of her hair to his face. "Like I told our teacher, this is nothing. For a hybrid, Salem will not allow even death itself to keep us from our destined duty. As those two should attest."

Jaune nodded. Looking back, he realized something. That thing, it had been like Weiss once. They had been. Whatever they were now, they were once human.

And he had killed them.

But they would have killed him. They tried to. They nearly killed Weiss.

In an instant, she was so nearly taken from him. He couldn't bear to think of that. Jaune lowered his head, stumbling away. Tyrian was saying something behind them, but Jaune couldn't be bothered to listen. Leaving the classroom and heading straight to the locker room to cleanse the filth from himself, he fell into the shower stall, hoping to wash away this day.

Sometime later, Jaune emerged from the shower, towel around his waist. Weston grunted at him as he went by, taking his place in the largest shower. Brawnz was getting dressed, catching sight of Jaune emerging. An expression on his face that Jaune couldn't place accompanied him as the slender hybrid abruptly left.

"Move, meat."

Turning, Jaune found Cardin was behind him. A completely stark naked Cardin. Eyeing his body, a patchwork of iron bands holding together scarred flesh, one injury above all else got his attention. Jaune winced, looking away from Cardin. No wonder the guy seemed perpetually pissed.

Cardin began pulling on his armor, clicking plates and leather over his body. Watching Jaune, he approached.

"I do not appreciate you eyeing me, meat. If you have a question, ask it."

"How are you able to pee?"

Jaune went dead still. Why, why had that slipped out? Of all the things to ask, why that? He looked back at Cardin, hoping that he would be blasé on the subject. The almost literal fire in the larger man's eyes said otherwise.

"...you said to ask."

"You listen here you little shit! I'm still a perfect breeding bull!"

Jaune supposed they could extract the needed material with a syringe. Such a thought, silly as it was, both made him wince again and made him laugh.

"You find this funny? What that blonde bitch did!"

He looked over the aggressive, larger hybrid. "I mean, a little. Cosmically. I don't know man, I'm not with it right now. That fight-"

"That fight!" Cardin's voice rose higher before lowering. "That fight is the only reason I'm letting you leave this room alive. If you didn't put that affront down, I would have."

There seemed to be actual emotion to the boy's voice, not just the blind anger. Genuine loss and sadness. Evidently, he had a history with the two unfortunate souls within the mass of the monster.

"Go back to your freak, breed her while she's still alive. If I get you or her in the ring, I won't think twice. I will kill you."

Jaune's breath caught, his sympathy arrested all at once. Cardin pushed past, going deeper into the showers. He had killed the monster, but could he kill an actual hybrid? He didn't think so.

Yet a quiet voice in the back of his head incessantly reminded him-he had. He just did. They had been alive. He took that from them. He took their lives, without hesitation. Frowning, Jaune pushed past it.

He had to get to Ruby, and he couldn't be in a mood like this. He had to be there for her. Today was her day. Later, he would pamper Weiss.

Now belonged to Ruby.

* * *

"Jaune..." Ruby gasped. A ragged breath shot through her lips. "I can't last much longer."

Her face was contorted with desperate effort. One of her hands reached up to take hold of his own, squeezing down on it with such force that the boy thought his bones would shatter.

"It's okay, Ruby," he said as he looked down on her. He squeezed back, hoping to offer as much comfort to her as he could. "I'm here with you."

"I'm so close..."

No. That would not do. She had to last longer. For her sake. For all of their sakes.

"Think happy thoughts, Ruby," he encouraged. "Think about who and what makes you happy. You can do it. I know you can."

Ruby's eyes were closed, and her brow was scrunched in concentration as she sought to maintain her human form. Her cute, and quite frankly very pretty human form. Silver eyes were hidden from his sight, but her pale, normal-colored flesh was plain to see. Much more than that, however, was the absence of her horns. The complete absence of them. Ruby looked like a normal girl. She could walk the streets of Vale and no one would have batted an eye.

Jaune couldn't suppress his smile as he looked at the adorable girl practically shaking as she sought to maintain the form. He'd lost track of how long she had been able to hold it, but he knew it was undoubtedly a new record for their training.

"Yang," Ruby said softly. "You. Weiss. I love my sister so much. I love my friends. Even if Weiss won't admit it, I know she's my friend!"

A small, joyous laugh slipped out of his mouth. Yes. This was what she needed to do. These were the kinds of thoughts she needed to think. She needed to get in touch with her human side. Not only to help maintain her human form, but to remember who she once was. What she once was. A human being just like him. Not a prisoner and a slave to that monster Salem.

Jaune was surprised when the small girl before him tugged on the hand she squeezed, bringing him close enough so that their bodies were touching. She wrapped her free arm around his waist, holding him to her as her flawless human forehead rested against his chest.

"I love spending time with you," she continued. "I love sleeping next to you. I love it when you praise me. Could you please praise me, Jaune?"

The blond felt his heart racing in his chest from the sudden physical action of Ruby. From her even more sudden words. Considering how he spent every night sleeping with both her and Weiss, their current circumstances were oddly intimate. It was hardly the first time he had held the girl in his arms, but when combined with what she was saying... he wanted nothing more than to bend down and place a kiss atop her beautiful red-black hair.

If it would help her be more human...

Jaune leaned in, bringing his lips close to her ear. "I think you're incredible, Ruby," he whispered gently. "You're so kind and sweet. You're the best friend I ever could have asked for."

It was the truth. And from his own selfish point of view, it was one of the most heartbreaking parts of this whole situation. He and Ruby would have gotten along amazingly out in the real world. Their personalities just meshed. He wouldn't have been surprised if she would have enjoyed things like video games and comic books. He wished he could introduce those things to her, but he had no way of going out and obtaining them. Maybe Hazel or even Tyrian would be able to venture out into the real world to get them.

Or maybe not Tyrian. With his track record, the man would probably buy them some sort of Mistrai pornography disguised as a graphic novel. Blake would surely love all the tentacles though...

Those thoughts were driven from his mind when he felt Ruby's shaking cease. As he peered down at her, the girl took a step back and looked up at him with shining silver eyes. The sweetest smile imaginable was plastered on her lips.

"You really mean it?" she asked hopefully. There was no trace of struggle or effort on her face.

She still maintained a vice grip on his hand, and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I do." A pair of fingers came up to brush a few errant crimson locks away from her eye. "Look at you. You're doing it. You're in your human form and you're not even trying."

In a flash Ruby's head dipped down, taking in her body as she looked it over back and forth. "I am..." she whispered. "I am! I'm doing it! And I'm not even trying!"

Jaune's heart swelled with pride with this victory. And he made no mistake about it, this _was_ a victory. Not for Salem and her plans to train an army of hybrids to infiltrate the kingdoms of men. No, this was a victory for _Ruby_. For her own happiness and wellbeing. For her own chance to break free from this misery and live a normal, happy life. If he could help facilitate that, then maybe coming here to this school hadn't been a mistake after all.

"You're doing it," he agreed happily. Tears threatened to well up in his eyes as he saw how happy she was. "I'm so proud of you, Ruby."

"I'm a human!" she stated proudly. Tragically. Deep down she really was a human, and she didn't even realize it.

"You are," he agreed. "You're absolutely human."

She came back to him, releasing his hand only to pull him into a bone-crushing embrace. Both her arms came around his torso, and if not for his Aura his spine would have surely been snapped. "Thank you, Jaune," she said happily as her head once more found his chest. "Thank you..."

What else could he do but return her hug? It wasn't just for show. It wasn't done out of obligation. He wanted to embrace her. He wanted to make her feel warm and loved. He wanted to stoke the embers of the human that existed somewhere inside her.

Jaune held Ruby close to him, not feeling at all awkward or self-conscious as he held her for long seconds. As his hands found their places on the small of her back. As his cheek came down to rest atop her hornless head. He wanted nothing more than to stay like this forever. To shelter this incredible girl in his arms. To protect and save her from the horrors that had been wrought upon her.

Sadly, however, life had chosen different fates for them both. Life had determined that they would be trapped in this school, and with everything that came with it.

"Jaune," a familiar gravelly voice sounded from behind him.

Reluctantly letting Ruby slip from his embrace, Jaune turned to see the hulking form of Hazel standing in the doorway. His face betrayed no signs of emotion. There was no indication that what he had been doing with Ruby would be seen as wrong in the man's eyes. He merely stood there as stoic as ever.

"Professor Rainart!" Ruby squealed excitedly. Without a care in the world that she had been caught red-handed acting so human with Jaune. "Look at me! Look how human I am!"

Then again, maybe that was the point. Maybe Hazel would be silently thrilled that Ruby was making so much progress in furthering Salem's plan.

A guttural noise sounded in the man's throat. "I see," he said neutrally. "In any case, Salem wants you to speak with the prisoner."

The prisoner? Jaune hadn't been aware there was anyone else like him here at the school. Was he in some strange sense fortunate that he was being treated like any of the other hybrids rather than a prisoner?

Ruby nodded, and Jaune noticed how her earlier excitement had left her face. "Okay," she said, almost as emotionless as Hazel himself.

"Should I come too?" Jaune asked warily. He wanted to know more about this prisoner. Moreover, he wanted to be there for Ruby in case she was indeed apprehensive about speaking to them.

"No. Salem has ordered me to bring you to see her."

A cold chill ran down Jaune's spine. The last time he had spoken to that woman...

The image her of fist punching through his armor and ribcage filled his mind. Salem was a monster he never again wanted to be in the presence of. Regardless of how much or how little violence she inflicted upon him.

"Aw, lucky!" Ruby pouted. "Here I have to go talk to this woman, and you get to talk to Salem? I guess you really are the top student here..."

Lucky. Top student. Everything Ruby knew about him was a lie. Just like everything she knew about herself.

"Well, I'll see you in a little while," the redhead said as she began walking. "Have fun with Salem!"

He knew that would be impossible regardless of how optimistic he tried to remain.

Hazel motioned with his head for Jaune to follow, and Jaune did just that. It wasn't like he could refuse his or Salem's orders.

Traveling the familiar halls of the school, Jaune soon reached a point that he had not been to since his first days at the academy. A place he would have never dared venture to of his own volition. Peering up an impossibly high spiraling staircase, another shudder ran through his body at the thought of what and who he was about to encounter.

"You know the drill," Hazel said as he stopped short of the first step.

Jaune nodded. Despite it have being so long ago, he remembered all too well what the man had told him. "High as I can go," he stated, using Hazel's own words from the first encounter. "There might be some Grimm on the way."

The burly man nodded. "Right. Though at this point I don't think a few Seers or Beowolves will be much of a problem for you."

Seers. He was unfamiliar with that kind of Grimm. It was more likely he just couldn't associate the name with the type of creature. However, what Hazel had said was interesting. Did the man really believe that Jaune was capable of fighting off the beasts of Grimm on his own? With his just sword?

Jaune glanced down to his left him, and his hand instinctively moved to feel the hilt of his family's blade. At least he wasn't entirely defenseless here.

"I guess I'd better get going..." he said, more thinking aloud than wishing to part ways with Hazel.

A grunt of confirmation cemented his decision. Taking the first step, Jaune began to ascend the staircase to once more meet with the monster who was responsible for not only his plight, but the conditions of every other student in this school.

His head was on a swivel as he walked up the stairs. Around him those strange tentacled jellyfish Grimm hung impossibly in the air like helium balloons. They didn't seem inclined to attack him, just as they hadn't the last time. Instead, strange clicking and chittering noises sounded from unseen orifices, and Jaune was all too happy he could not see their mouths. If their strange appearance bore a resemblance to Blake...

Jaune pushed the thought of her toothy grin from his mind as he continued upward. He had to stay focused on the task at hand. And probably the stairs as well. Light was a precious commodity around here, and one false step could send him plummeting down hundreds of steps to meet a terrible end.

As he reached the top, his hand was finally removed from the handle of Crocea Mors. No Grimm had accosted him, and for that small gift he was thankful. However, now he had to face the Queen of the Grimm herself. He would rather face down a hundred creatures of Grimm than that terrifying woman.

The familiar double doors stood closed before him, and just like the last time he raised his fist to knock. Just like the last time, the door eerily opened on its own.

"Enter," the smooth, dark voice from within sounded.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune forced himself inside the chamber of Salem.

The woman's back was to him, showing no detail of her features other than the elaborately styled hair atop her head. The woman's flowing black dress pooled around her feet, giving the appearance that she did not even possess legs. The way she seemed to glide across the room when she moved would have supported such a theory, had it not been so preposterous to begin with.

Jaune took a few steps into the room, not wanting to approach the woman any closer than necessary. "You asked to see me?"

Salem did not move her body, but her head turned to peek at him with one glowing red eye. "I did," she said coolly. "Come," she beckoned with a single word.

Jaune nodded, and swallowed as he approached the woman. Moving to stand by her side, he saw that she was gazing into one of the jellyfish Grimm. In its strange, almost glass-like surface, he saw his and Salem's reflections. Did it serve as some sort of living mirror? No, surely there had to be more to it than that.

"You're making quite an impact here," she stated. "I have seen what you have done with some of my more... rambunctious children."

Was he in trouble? A pessimistic part of him didn't think so. No, if he had been in trouble, Salem would have had him killed by one of her lackeys. Or by the Grimm themselves. She wouldn't have demanded an audience with him just to tell him that he was doing too much with the other students.

"It's what you wanted me to do, isn't it?" he asked.

"Indeed," she confirmed. "I saw your training session with young Ruby. It must have been quite a touching moment for you, to see how far she had come since first meeting her. To see how happy and human she was in that moment."

In all honesty, it was. Jaune was incredibly proud of the progress Ruby was making. That they all were. After what Yang had told him the other day, he knew that the secret to the hybrids holding their perfect human forms was to feel more human themselves. The fact that Ruby had achieved what she had earlier spoke volumes to how far she had come. How much he had been able to affect her.

Still, Jaune didn't know what he was supposed to say here. He didn't know how Salem felt about that. She certainly didn't seem angry. He couldn't imagine what an enraged Salem would look or sound like, but the very idea of it was utterly horrifying.

He hadn't noticed before, but a piece of paper with in Salem's hand. She brought it up to read from it. "Dear, Salem," she began, her tone making it obvious that the words were not her own. "Jaune said I should write to you to tell you how much you mean to me. You're the coolest mom ever! I really hope I can help you make all the humans see how great you are too. Thanks for giving me the chance to go to school here with my sister and meet people like Jaune. I've been having such a good time since he showed up..."

The words hurt his heart. Yes, he had told Ruby to write a letter to her 'mother', that being Salem in this case. However, he never knew that hearing Ruby's own thoughts on her situation would make him feel so sad. He never knew her own complacency in living this life would trouble him so much.

"It's cute, in its own way," Salem continued, lowering the letter as to make it clear that she was sharing her own thoughts now. "Ruby has always been a particularly special case. A hybrid unlike any other due to her unique... gift."

Thinking back to when he had first met her, Jaune recalled how Ruby had been ostracized by her peers. How she herself thought that she was defective in some sort of way. There had never been any truly definitive proof of that before. It had always just been Ruby's own thoughts and beliefs. There may have been a little bit of animosity between her and some of the other hybrids, but hearing it from Salem's own mouth all but confirmed it.

Still, he wondered just what gift Ruby had that made her stand out from the rest of the hybrids.

"Look into the Seer's orb," she ordered him. Seeing how the only orb was the one of that jellyfish Grimm floating before him, he could only assume that was a Seer. At least that unasked question had been answered.

He did as he was told, and for long seconds he saw only his reflection. Was this some sort of test? To stare at his own face and tell her what he saw?

To his surprise, both his and Salem's reflections vanished in a swirling mist within the Seer's body, and was quickly replaced by an all too familiar sight. An all too familiar girl.

With Ruby.

 _"I'm sorry,"_ the girl said. How was he seeing and hearing her through the Seer? _"I just don't remember."_

Ruby was standing next to what looked to be a prison cell. A dungeon, more likely. The prisoner that Hazel had spoken of was on the other side of the bars. It was clearly a woman, her face bound by a thick black blindfold. And while it was difficult to tell with the purple-black color of the Seer's orb, her hair looked oddly... familiar.

 _"Please, Ruby. You have to remember,"_ the prisoner pleaded. _"You have to try to remember who I am. Remember who you are. You're my baby girl, Ruby. My precious baby girl."_

Jaune's eyes went wide in shock. Her baby girl.

Ruby's mother. Her true, biological mother.

What kind of sick, twisted depravity was this? He glanced at Salem.

"Summer Rose," she said indifferently, as if reading his thoughts. "Ruby's true mother."

His heart rate spiked as he continued to watch the scene unfold before him in the Seer's orb.

 _"I think you have the wrong girl,"_ Ruby said emotionlessly. Robotically. _"_ _Salem's my mother."_

The woman who shared Ruby's unique hair shook her head wildly. _"That monster is not your mother. I know it was so long ago, but you have to try to remember the bedtime stories I used to read to you. Remember the cookies you used to love me baking for you."_

Ruby gripped her arm. _"I don't know who you are."_

It was too much. Thankfully with the wave of her hand, Salem banished the images from the Seer's body.

Jaune's hands were shaking as he stared at his reflection once more. Lips parted and eyes wide, he could not conjure up any sort of thoughts in his mind. All that existed was rage. Hate. Pure, unadulterated hate.

In an instant his right hand returned to the handle of Crocea Mors, and he ripped the blade out of its scabbard. With Aura-fuelled strength and speed he gripped the sword in two hands. He cried out as he swung, the only thought in his mind being the giant woman who stood next to him.

The blade struck deep and true, sinking into Salem's flesh and stopping only when it hit the vertebrae of her neck. A fatal blow if he had ever seen one. The pale woman's head hung limply where only half of her tissue still kept it attached to her body. Had it truly been so easy? Had he vanquished her with a single strike?

Jaune was panting heavily from anger and exertion. Pulling Crocea Mors out, he found it odd that the woman hadn't collapsed to the ground yet. And then he found out why.

Salem' head turned, and tilted down to meet his gaze. "Better men than you have tried to end me."

Jaune's eyes were impossibly wide as ghostly white flesh began to mend itself right in front of him. Tendons and veins knitted and healed themselves where his sword had bit into her skin and meat.

"Does your anger make you feel powerful?" she asked. "Does it feel good to lash out against those who have wronged you?"

Within seconds Salem was whole once more. Unscathed. How, he could not explain. All he knew was that he had gambled, and that he had lost. Now he had to face the consequences.

"You're developing quite the killer instinct, Mr. Arc. First one of my hybrids today in Tyrian's class. Now you sought to kill me." Her eyes betrayed no anger of their own for him attempting to cut her down where she stood. "I wonder, is it you who will change my children? Or will they be the ones to change you?"

"You're a monster," he snarled. His hands still gripped Crocea Mors tightly. A part of him considered it odd that she had not disarmed him, but then again, did it matter if he could not harm her? "How can you be so cruel?"

"Cruel," she mused. "You know nothing of injustice or cruelty. You could not possibly fathom what those words truly mean."

"Why then?" he asked incredulously. "Why would you do that to Ruby? Why would you show me that?"

Salem held up the letter she had received from Ruby once more. "You may teach them to act more human," she explained. "But that is all it will ever be. An act. You cannot change them. You cannot save them. They are mine. They may grow fond of you, but they will never love you. All you can do is play your part here, and hope that you never outlive your usefulness to my cause."

Irrational hatred once more coursed through Jaune's veins. He didn't care if he had failed before. Salem may have been able to heal her wound, but could she possibly heal herself if he hacked her head clean off?

He swung once more, focusing all of his Aura and Semblance into his arms to power his strike. To decapitate Salem cleanly this time. To not give her the opportunity to regenerate as she had done before.

A single hand reached out, stopping his arms and his blade in their tracks. Black and white fingers laced around his wrist, and in one simple motion snapped it.

Jaune screamed as he stumbled backwards, Crocea Mors clattering to the ground as his good hand held his broken wrist. The pain was unbearable, and his breathing came out in desperate gasps as he struggled to use his abilities to heal it. The pain blocked his focus, making the task incredibly difficult.

"You amuse me, boy," Salem said calmly. "But be careful. Do not think that you may act so recklessly in the future and not face consequences."

Jaune said nothing as he tried to channel all of his Aura into healing his shattered bones. A bright white glow illuminated the dimly lit room as it went to work.

The tendrils of the Seer Grimm scooped Crocea Mors off the ground and presented it to him. It didn't matter to Salem whether or not he was armed. She could overpower him with a single hand. And even if she couldn't, she could simply heal any wound he inflicted on her.

Jaune ceased his efforts to mend his wrist, taking the sword in his good hand. It would not do to refuse Salem's gesture. The weapon felt heavier than it had before.

"Go now, we're done here," the woman ordered. "And put to rest any further thoughts of trying to kill me. I'm sure your new friends would be devastated to learn that you would no longer be attending this school."

Jaune was in no position to argue. No position to fight back. His throbbing wrist made all thoughts of resistance or protest evaporate from his mind. All he wanted to do right now was escape the horrifying presence of the Headmistress of this academy.

He stumbled through the double doors of Salem's chamber, slumping against the nearest wall once he was outside. Sliding down onto his backside, he set Crocea Mors down and continued to cradle his injured limb in his good hand, silently willing his Aura to do its healing work.

Around him the Seers chattered, floating ominously as they seemed to regard him with interest. The howl of a distant Beowolf filled his ears, but he could not place a location or even a direction of where it might be. If it came for him, he needed to be ready. He needed his sword arm to be at full strength.

He wasn't ready to make the trip down the stairs yet. As he continued to mend his wrist, all he could think about was how much he hated this place. How much he hated that monster of a woman. How much he felt for Ruby. For Weiss. For all the victims who were being so unknowingly tortured for Salem's own twisted plans.

Despite what he had seen today, his resolve had not been dampened. If anything, it had only been strengthened. He had always wanted to be a huntsman. To be a hero. To live up to his family name and protect those in need.

He would save his friends or he would die trying.

* * *

When Jaune had finally summoned the strength to return to his room, he hadn't expected to see Weiss standing outside of it.

As he approached her head snapped up, and glowing red eyes gazed in his direction. He was still too far for her to hear him approach, and he silently wondered how she had been aware of his presence from such a distance.

The white-haired hybrid stood with her arms folded across her chest, and the undershirt of his that he had 'gifted' to her showed no signs of the wound she had suffered earlier in the day. He knew it was still undoubtedly there, however. Despite the enormous durability that hybrids possessed, he knew that she still had to be feeling that injury.

The question was, why was she outside? And why did she look so... uncomfortable?

As seconds passed by and he grew nearer, he could make out an all too familiar frown on the girl's face. If she was feeling physically bad, she should be inside. She should be resting and recovering. A part of him wanted to try using his Aura on her, but he had no idea how that would interact with a Grimm hybrid. Or any true Grimm period. The risk of further injuring Weiss crossed his mind, and it was a risk he was not willing to take.

Perhaps he would ask Hazel about that the next time they spoke. As the academy's resident expert on Aura, he would be the most likely to know. Outside of Salem, that was. However, Jaune would never want to speak with her about anything even if he was offered the opportunity.

"Weiss?" he asked, concern lacing his voice as he neared her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" she snapped. One of her folded hands clutched at her torso, betraying the words she spoke.

Jaune knew he shouldn't press the issue. If Weiss did not want to admit to being injured, then he would not bring it up. If it wasn't life-threatening for the girl, it was probably more of a matter of pride. Weiss would not want to be shown up by him. She would not want to be in a position of weakness or inferiority in front of him.

"Why are you outside?" A chill suddenly ran through his body. "And where's Ruby?"

Her lip twitched, and red eyes shifted to regard the door. "She's inside."

Now it was Jaune who frowned. He knew that Ruby and Weiss had their issues at times, but it had never before kept either of the girls from being in the same room together. Especially after their current living arrangements had been established.

Without wasting another moment, Jaune grabbed the door's handle and pushed it open.

The sounds of muffled crying filled his ears.

Ruby sat on their bed, her face buried in her hands as she wept. Horns stuck through her hair, and her skin had returned to its normal pallor. It was heart-wrenching to witness. After what Jaune had seen earlier in Salem's presence, his chest hurt to Ruby in such a state.

"Fix this," Weiss growled as she stood next to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, already knowing the answer in his mind. He wanted to hear Weiss' take on it, however. "Why is she..." he didn't know if Weiss knew what crying meant or why it happened. "Why is she acting this way?"

The smaller girl shook her head. "I don't know. I don't like it though."

That made two of them. However, it surprised Jaune that Weiss was upset, or at the very least uncomfortable with Ruby's behavior. He knew that his friend had been set apart from her peers due to her positive attitude. So it stood to reason that the other hybrids would _like_ the fact that she was crying.

Yet Weiss didn't.

"Fix it," she repeated, taking a few steps away from him.

"I will. But where are you going?"

"To my old room," she said softly, turning to regard him. "I need... privacy for tonight."

He made no move to stop her, nor did he voice any protest. Her actions once more spoke louder than her words.

Weiss' hand still gripped her body as she slunk away, like an injured animal retreating to lick its wounds. Perhaps Weiss felt that if she displayed any weakness in front of him that he would judge her? Or worse, try to kill her in a moment of weakness? He knew that weakness was not tolerated in this academy. Maybe she felt as though she had to seclude herself from others until she was fully recovered?

She would be fine. He knew that. By tomorrow Weiss would be recovered and back to her old self. Right now though it was Ruby who needed his help. She was suffering from a wound that her advanced durability, nor his Aura, could heal.

Jaune stepped inside their room at long last, prompting Ruby to look up at him. Liquid red eyes regarded him, and her cheeks were wet and glistening from where the tears had flown down them.

He did not hesitate as he approached, dropping to a knee as he took her human hand in his own. "Ruby?" he said softly. "What's wrong?"

Again, he could already answer his own question. And again, he wanted to see what she would say in response.

"I don't know," the girl croaked. "That woman. Whenever I see that woman I get this way and I don't know why..."

Jaune knew why. That woman, that prisoner, was her mother. He knew he couldn't very well tell her that though. At least not now. She probably wouldn't have believed him on a good day, and in her state of mind he wasn't sure how she would react to such a revelation.

"I... I... I don't know why I'm feeling like this," she continued to whimper. "Am I broken, Jaune? Why can't my eyes stop doing this?"

Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. It was too much for Jaune to bear. Without even thinking he acted.

Large arms wrapped around the sitting girl, pulling her close to his chest. Like one of his little sisters who had fallen and scraped her knee, Jaune held the crying girl against him. Arms squeezed firmly around her back offering a sense of warmth and security for the girl.

"You're not broken, Ruby," he whispered soothingly. "You're not. None of this is your fault."

Ruby's face buried into his chest as her sobbing resumed. He felt the sharp heaves of her back, prompting his hands to tighten around her even more. If it was too much Ruby made no sounds of protest. Her arms came around him as well, squeezing him with equal amounts of pressure.

He didn't know how long he knelt in front of her like that. He didn't know how long he held her before one of his hands came up to gently stroke her hair as he did. All he knew was that he would do so for as long as he needed to. He would stay with her like this all night if she needed him to.

Anger and hatred had been replaced with care and compassion. Thoughts of vengeance against Salem had fled from his mind. Right now his only concern was his friend. He only wanted her to feel better.

"I'm here for you, Ruby," he spoke gently into her ear. "I'll always be here for you. You're not alone anymore."

Jaune grunted as her arms tightened around him so much as to cause him pain. Yet he didn't care. If his body was what Ruby needed to feel better, then he would deal with the pain now and heal any injuries later.

With one hand in her hair and the other rubbing soft circles around her back, his friend's breathing seemed to stabilize. The sobs which wracked her body lessened in intensity and frequency until finally stopping entirely.

Her head came up from his chest, and eyes surrounded by puffy gray skin regarded his own. "Jaune..."

He smiled weakly at her, trying his best to stay positive around her. Hoping that some of it would rub off on her. "It's going to be okay, Ruby," he offered soothingly. He gently wiped a tear away from her cheek with his thumb.

"I know," she sniffed. "I feel better now that you're here."

His heart swelled with pride. To know that his very presence had made a positive impact on her told him that being at this academy was not a waste of time. He hated to imagine Ruby having to go through this alone. To speak with her mother, and then have nothing and no one to turn to afterward when she felt like this.

Glistening eyes continued to gaze into his own. Vulnerable eyes. Eyes that should have forewarned him of what was coming next, and yet still came as a shock to him.

Ruby's lips pressed against his own, and one of her hands shifted to the back of his head in order to keep him in place. Despite the shock of the sudden action, Jaune made no move to pull away. Instead he lived in the moment, returning the kiss to the girl with passion and care equal to what she was giving him.

After a few seconds Ruby parted from him, and her tongue darted out to lick her lips. The softest hint of a smile played on those voluptuous lips of hers, making Jaune's breathing spike for just a split second.

"It feels good to kiss you," she spoke softly. "Like how we did before."

Jaune remembered all too well the 'kissing lessons' the two had shared. He had enjoyed it. She had as well. The noises she had made back then proved as much.

"Y-yeah," he said nervously. "It does."

Yet in this moment, Jaune felt guilty about kissing her. She was in a bad place, and he couldn't help that he was taking advantage of her despite the fact that she had been the one to initiate it.

But at the same time if it helped her feel better after what she had been through, then was giving her the care that she wanted really such a bad thing? Kissing was after all an act of affection. He wanted Ruby to feel loved right now. He wanted her to feel safe and secure. If she pressed the issue, how far would he go along with it?

"I'm glad we have the room to ourselves," she continued. "Like the old days."

Warning bells sounded in Jaune's mind. No. She couldn't be suggesting what he thought she was about to.

"Like the old days," he agreed. "Well... other than..."

His mind wandered to what lay under the bed. He wondered if Blake was there right now, feasting on the negative thoughts that Ruby was emitting.

Ruby tugged on Jaune's hand, and he stood in order to follow where she wished to guide him. "Maybe tonight we can do more kissing..." she offered bashfully. White cheeks blushed a pale gray as she spoke. "While we're cuddling in bed."

It wasn't as far as he feared she would go, and for that Jaune was thankful. Still, the thought of holding her in bed, his arms around her and hers around him while kissing her, would surely cause his own hormones to react very aggressively.

He wouldn't let things go that far. Not while she was this vulnerable. Not just that though. The very thought of doing anything like... that was not something he was ready for. Even if she wanted it.

However, if she wanted to... practice kissing a bit more in order to feel better after what she had just endured, then who was he to deny her of that simple comfort? It wasn't anything they hadn't done before. They cuddled every night. They had just kissed only moments ago. If doing both of those things at the same time tonight would help her, then he would rise to the occasion.

"Only if you want to," he said softly, as Ruby shifted on the bed to allow him to lay next to her.

Once he was settled in, her arms came around him once more, and her head moved to rub her horns against him affectionately as she often liked to. It was a far more adorable gesture than Weiss' sharp pecks.

"It made me feel better," she admitted. "So let's keep doing it."

Jaune didn't get a chance to protest before her face rose and her lips once more met his. His arms took her body into them in turn, and in seconds Jaune found himself lost in the moment as Ruby continued to kiss him.

He had to admit that maybe she was on to something here. It did feel good to do this. She wasn't the only one in need of comfort too. If they could help each other in their mutual times of need, it wouldn't hurt to do so.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Wow, this chapter was certainly longer than anticipated.

A good old mix of comedy, violence, romance, and drama. Par for the course with this story. Add in a little twist, and you get a chapter nearly 10,000 words long!

My thanks as always go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for all their hard work. Burk in particular is the mastermind behind all these grotesque hybrids and their burtal fights. So major props to him for his creative mind.

And of course my thanks go out to all of the fans of this story. Your support truly means so much to me.

I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.


	13. Chapter 13

When Jaune woke he immediately noticed that something was off. Opening his eyes, he saw and felt the familiar presence of Ruby curled up lovingly next to him.

His other side lay cold and bare.

It truly was incredible when he thought about it. Had he told himself a few months ago that he would be waking up every morning with two girls cuddling next to him, he would have called himself a liar. A fool. An idiot. When he thought about it more, it wasn't _that_ far from the truth. After all, he had wound up getting himself stuck in this place. He truly did have to be an idiot to accomplish that.

A glance down to Ruby showed that she was sleeping peacefully. For that little bit of comfort he was grateful. She didn't seem to be suffering from any nightmares. Her tears had long since dried up, and none seemed to have spilled in her sleep. Her face seemed relaxed and content. A small sense of satisfaction filled him knowing that he had played a part in that. His warmth and comfort had made her at least feel better. It was all he could do for her.

He could not kill Salem. This much had been made clear to him. His wrist had suffered the consequences of thinking he could harm her, and it was a mistake he would not make again. No, in order to defeat Salem, he could not kill her. Rather, he would have to defeat her in another way. Saving his friends, and thus ruining her plans, was entirely within his power. The monstrous woman thought such a goal was out of reach. Obviously she had lost her own humanity long ago, or else she would have realized that he would stop at nothing to achieve this goal. It was his very humanity that drove him forward against such impossible odds.

With his friend sleeping soundly, Jaune felt the urge to check on the girl who was missing from their bed. His second bunkmate who had in the past few weeks made their three-person bed a normal, comfortable, and somehow, workable situation. Weiss had been injured the prior day, and badly too. She had refused to let him see the extent of the injury. It must have been bad if she did not wish to sleep next to him. After making such a fuss about looking after what was hers, that was concerning.

Jaune gently removed Ruby's arm from around his chest and slid the covers off of him. Moving as slowly and carefully as possible, he slipped out of the bed and stood up.

Ruby shifted slightly, her arm grabbing hold of the pillow he had just been using and pulling it close to her chest. Her horns pressed against it, and it was a wonder they didn't puncture the fabric. The girl settled in, content that the pillow with his scent was in fact her friend, and laid still once more.

A serene smile formed on Jaune's lips as he looked down at the scene. Ruby would be okay by herself for a little while as he checked on their friend across the hall.

As he turned and took a step toward the door, he nearly tripped as something snagged his ankle. After flailing for a few seconds he regained his balance, and looked down to see what he had caught his foot on.

He wasn't surprised to see a familiar tentacle protruding from underneath his bed. Clamped around his ankle like a small child might hold their mother's hand while crossing the street.

 **"Where are you going?"** the elusive voice of Blake sounded.

The twisted hybrid had never done this before. Then again he had never snuck off on his own before. He would have always left the room with Ruby, Weiss, or both. This must have been an unexpected change of pace for the girl who slept underneath his bed.

"To check on Weiss," he answered honestly.

Seconds of silence followed. The tendril remained in place, but at the very least she didn't seem interested in pulling back to his bed. Or worse, under it.

 **"Are you going to kill her?"** she finally asked.

The question took Jaune aback. Concern even worse than when Blake had grabbed hold of him flooded his body. "What?" he asked, aghast by the very thought of it. "No! Why would I do that?"

Blake's tentacle began to slowly and methodically rub around his ankle, the barbed tip of it making its way up his calf. **"She's injured,"** the dark whisper told him. **"Now would be the ideal time to do it."**

It would be, had he been interested in such an action. He wasn't in the slightest. "I'm not going to kill her," he stated bluntly. "Weiss is my friend. I'm going to see if she's okay, and if there's anything I can do to help her."

Silence once more filled the room. Jaune looked down at the slithering tentacle once more, but it had stopped its ascent up his leg. Blake seemed content for it to remain where it gripped him.

 **"How very... human of you."**

Jaune froze. His mind ran through all the possible scenarios that could come next. The most prominent ones were where he would be forced to fight. Where he would be forced to wake Ruby up in order to aid him. With his best friend's help he would probably win, but there was no guarantee. Blake was already in a prime position to ambush them both. To do what she willed with her deadly tentacles. To subdue him and kill Ruby before she could even properly wake up.

He would just have to play along as he always did. Play along, and hope they would continue to believe his lies. "Yeah. Well, that's what we're here for, right?" he asked.

For a third time there as silence. Jaune waited, each breath he took torturous as he anticipated what Blake's response would be. Eyes remained glued to the floor as he stared at the tendril which held him fast. As he searched for more which may shoot out to drag him into her waiting maw.

 **"Most of us,"** Blake replied simply.

With that her offending limb released its hold of him, and the tentacle slithered back underneath the bed. For long seconds Jaune stared down there, waiting for it, or her, to emerge once more. It never came. She never came.

Seeing this as an opportunity to go about his business, Jaune moved quickly to the door and went outside. A breath of relief passed through his lips as he stood in the hallway.

Across the hall was Weiss' room. Her old room, before she took up residence with him and Ruby. Her injury had forced her to retreat there once more to lick her wounds away from those who might take advantage of them. Not that he ever would, but Weiss didn't understand that. She didn't understand how humans worked.

He would simply have to teach her. Just as he would all of them.

A pair of firm knocks against the wooden door echoed through the hall. She would surely be awoken by them if she wasn't already awake. Knowing Weiss, she was an early riser.

His suspicions were confirmed when he heard a voice on the other side of the door. "Go away," the harsh and commanding tone of the tiny terror came.

She didn't want guests, but perhaps she would change her tune when she realized it was him. Maybe she would be interested in making a nice breakfast this morning. "Weiss, it's me," he said. "Can I come in?"

Much like in his conversation with Blake, silence fell upon them. He didn't like that. Weiss was never one who was short for words or expressing her opinions. A quiet Weiss was a worrying Weiss.

"Weiss?" he repeated. This time concern laced his voice.

"I don't need your help," she stated harshly.

He hadn't asked if she did. Weiss' unprompted statement made it clear to Jaune that she did indeed need help. She was just too proud to ask for it.

Or too scared.

Jaune wasn't about to have his friend suffer over the false belief that he would hurt her in her weakened state. Grabbing hold of the doorknob, he twisted and pushed. "I'm coming in," he announced.

Pushing the door open, he was greeted by the sight of Weiss sitting atop her bed half undressed. Much of her exposed skin was crudely covered in bandages that she was attempting to apply herself. They overlapped in some places, and left other areas entirely exposed. The area of her abdomen where she had suffered her injury was discolored, with what he assumed was blood and pus seeping through and tainting the pure white bandages.

"Jaune!" Weiss cried out, her hands moving to cover her chest. "Get out!"

Rather than look at what she was covering, however, Jaune looked at the discolorations of her dressings. Black from her Grimm hybrid blood. Yellow from the infection of her wound. No, this wouldn't do. This wouldn't do at all.

Jaune was no doctor, but he had suffered and tended to enough cuts and bruises back home to know how to care for them. Weiss would just have to be the first patient who was not one of his sisters.

"Let me see it," he said, taking a step into the room.

Red eyes widened, and her forearms and elbows shifted so that they would cover the area in question. "I will not!" she stated defiantly.

With a slight shake of his head he moved closer to her. "Weiss," he said, reaching out to grab hold of her arms. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Her face contorted, and she did her best to try and fight him off without exposing her undressed torso. "I do not need your assistan-"

"Weiss!" he finally shouted, letting his frustration get the better of him.

The girl's crimson orbs once more widened, and in a flash all resistance ceased. A ragged breath slipped through her lips, and the girl's face looked away from him.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he repeated as he grabbed hold of both of her arms. He tugged on them, and she stood up willingly before he led her to the bathroom. "Sit on the edge of the tub," he ordered.

To his surprise, Weiss did as he commanded. She sat there, hands still covering her breasts, but the area below that had been bandaged exposed for him to see. Had it truly been so easy to cow her into submission? Simply by raising his voice to her?

Jaune found the edge of the wrapping and began to unbind her stomach, As he unwound it he began to see the full extent of the injury she had suffered in yesterday's class.

The puncture wound had not scabbed yet, and around the small hole her flesh was gray from bruising. Yellowish tints were mixed in, telling Jaune that it was indeed becoming infected. He didn't know if Weiss had been cleaning it regularly or just trying to bandage over it to prevent any fluids from leaking out. Knowing what he knew about hybrids, he doubted that she had much education on taking care of wounds. Especially when becoming severely wounded often led to death.

At least the bathroom had the bare essentials. A washcloth and a bar of soap would have to do. He was lacking in any sort of anti-bacterial washes or even something as simple as rubbing alcohol, but he would do his best with what he had.

Jaune was suddenly glad he had barged into the girl's room uninvited. Left to her own devices, he wasn't sure if the hybrid girl's superior constitution would have staved off serious illness. Weiss had taken a very bad hit in their spar yesterday, and it spoke volumes that she was even up and about with her puncture wound. A human being would have been incapacitated or killed by this. Without him she might have suffered a similar fate. The loss of the girl would have crushed him.

That realization dawned on him in this very moment as he wet and rubbed soap on the washcloth. He cared for this girl. Even if their relationship was different from the one he shared with Ruby. Weiss, like Ruby, was precious to him.

Placing the cloth on her stomach, Weiss flinched from its coldness. That, or maybe there was slight pain where the soap seeped into her wound. Whatever the case, it was for her own good.

"You know, Weiss," he began. "You're going to have to clean and rewrap this every day. Probably even more often than that. Two or three times a day I'd say."

Glowing red eyes were locked onto his hands as they gently rubbed and washed her injury. "You don't fool me," she said softly.

Jaune frowned. "Fool you?"

"You merely wish for an excuse to see me nude every day," she explained. Her hands fell from her chest, exposing all of her torso for him to see as he continued to cleanse her wound. "Don't lie."

He looked away in an instant. "What? That's not it at all."

The truth of it was that he wasn't even focusing on those areas of her. At least he hadn't been. But once she had lowered her arms, he had gotten to see her. All of her. Her flat and smooth stomach was marred by her injury, but it wouldn't always be. Maybe a scar would remain, but her midsection would be just as beautiful even with it. Perky breasts, while not as large as Ruby's, were still appealing to the eye.

He tried to focus on other things as he sought to not stare at the young hybrid's body. He stared at her face. Her hair. Her eyes. Yet he couldn't help but find those attractive as well. Weiss was a fountain of beauty whether she was in her hybrid or human form. In all honesty, probably the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. She was like a princess out of a fairy tale. Jaune had always fancied himself a hero like from the legends of old. Now here he sat like a knight taking care of the princess he was charged with protecting.

Weiss turned her head away from him and his healing hands as he continued his work. "Is seeing Ruby not enough for you?" she asked bitterly. "Little surprise there. I am far more attractive than her anyway."

Objectively speaking, Jaune agreed with that assessment. However beauty came in far more forms than just physically. Ruby was a different sort of beautiful than her. Not that he wanted to share that with Weiss in this moment.

Still, there was one part of her statement she had gotten wrong. "I actually don't see Ruby naked anymore," he admitted.

She scoffed. "I see. So you've been deprived of satisfying your natural urges and your first choice was to gaze upon me. I have to admit that you've made the correct decision for the first time in your life. Not that I'm particularly happy with this arrangement, but at least your simple mind came to the correct conclusion."

Jaune rolled his eyes as he wrung the cloth out before applying more soap and water. She was still as arrogant as ever, even when injured. Even when in a state of complete vulnerability before him.

"Sure, Weiss," he said sardonically. "Let's go with that."

Sarcasm which Weiss obviously did not pick up on. She hummed triumphantly as Jaune continued his work. "At least you have decency to admit it. Not many people could so readily admit to being wrong."

People like her. Jaune wondered how she would react to knowing that so many of the statements she made with such supreme confidence were so very wrong.

"You should be honored to see me in such a state of undress," she continued. "No one else ever has before."

The words made him feel slightly guilty. Like he was taking something he should not have had access to. Like he was seeing something the girl had not wanted to reveal.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It's not exactly by choice. I just want what's best for yo- ow!"

Even in her weakened state, she still had the strength and will to jab the tip of her horn into his midsection. Some things would never change.

"Not by choice?" she growled. "Are you saying that you would not fall to your knees and beg for the opportunity to look upon my flawless body?"

That was a bit overdramatic to be sure. Under normal circumstances he would have admittedly been thrilled to see all of Weiss. She was after all a very attractive young woman, even in her Grimm form. However right now his number one concern was to ensure that she was safe and recovered properly.

Jaune didn't know what to say that would get him out of the mess he had walked into. Perhaps the truth would be the best option. "You are really beautiful," he admitted. "But having to worry about your injury isn't the best way to, um, see how beautiful you are."

Weiss harrumphed, once more looking away from him like that in itself was some sort of punishment. Like being deprived of her attention was his loss. Jaune was sure she would have folded her arms across her chest had their current predicament allowed her to do so.

When he was satisfied that Weiss' injury had been cleaned to the best of his ability, he reached over for a gauze pad and the roll of bandages that she had been attempting to wrap herself. He would need for her to be upright for them to be properly applied, and he took hold of her hand, urging her to stand.

She did so without resistance. As he stood so closely to her, their height difference became readily apparent. Maybe it was also due to the fact that she was stark naked from the waist up, or maybe it was because she was so vulnerable at the moment, but right now this hybrid girl who had seemingly made it her mission to dominate him appeared so tiny. So fragile. So human.

Standing behind her so that he would be less inclined to stare, Jaune began to circle the bandages around her torso while she held the very end of the wrappings in place. Long white hair brushed against his chest, and as he looked down upon it he got an unintentional whiff of it. It, just like the rest of her, was pleasant. Appealing. Beautiful.

He was almost done, and that meant that the opportunity to speak with her would soon be over. Her guard would be back up once this was over, and things would return to normal. It was a golden opportunity to have a real conversation with the girl. One he wasn't about to pass up.

As the bandage made another pass around her stomach, he spoke to her in a low, calm voice. "You know I would never hurt you, right?"

Her head turned away from the side he was speaking from. "What are you talking about?"

"I know how things work," he explained. "Injury. Weakness. The... culling." He believed that was what Tyrian had called it so long ago. "If you're hurt you don't have to hide it from me. I'd never tell anyone. And I'd never do anything that would get you killed. I'd only try to help you like I am right now."

Weiss' head turned the other direction now, and she glared back at him out of the corner of one of her glowing red eyes. "Why?"

It was a simple question. One she had been raised to ask, given everything she and the rest of the hybrids had been through. After all the death and destruction they had wrought upon each other. Why would one help another in a time of weakness? Why would a fellow hybrid wish to heal another rather than eliminate the competition?

A simple question had a simple answer. The simplest one Jaune could think of. "Because you're my friend," he said genuinely.

In a flash her face turned back the other way so that he could not gauge her reaction, and her ponytail lightly slapped against his body. "I see."

"I want you to know that you can trust me." He hoped his actions were speaking louder than his words. He hoped the fact that he was caring for her injury would show the girl how much he did care for her. That being here in her most vulnerable state proved that his intentions were pure. "And I only want what's best for you. I want you to survive all of this. I want you to live a good long life along with me."

Jaune felt how her body tensed up after those words. Shoulders stiffened. The muscles of her tight stomach hardened. Had he said something wrong?

"You do?" she asked softly.

"Well, yeah. Is that okay?"

For several moments she did not answer. Jaune wondered if he had overstepped the boundaries, but thankfully her next words proved such thoughts incorrect.

"Well, good!" she said smugly. "I'm pleased my servant knows how to properly care for me. Better late than never, I suppose."

Jaune smiled and shook his head lightly. Servant. Of course she would still go on with that line of thinking. It was time to dispel that way of thinking as well.

As he neared the end of the bandaging, his thumb pressed down softly against the spot of her injury, earning a yelp from the hybrid. She jumped slightly, and looked back at him with a murderous glare in her eyes.

"Care to continue calling me your servant?" he asked.

A husky breath slipped through her lips. "C-cruel fiend!" she gasped. "I shall not forget that!"

He could have sworn that her white cheeks had grayed slightly with those words, but she quickly turned back around before he could confirm such suspicions.

Finishing up his work, Jaune snipped the bandages from the roll and secured the other end to her body. "All done," he said happily.

Weiss took a few steps away from him and looked down to assess his handiwork. It was far better than what she had attempted on her own. Not only was her wound clean and sanitized, but the bandages neatly and evenly wrapped around her torso from her stomach to just below her bustline. They would have to be reapplied a few times a day, and it would be a time consuming process. But it was worth it. She was worth it.

"Stay in here while I put on a shirt," she ordered. "Your lustful eyes have already gotten enough of a treat for one morning."

Jaune did as he was told. He couldn't help but smile. Weiss was back to her old self. Her arrogant, domineering old self.

Seconds later she reappeared before him wearing his oversized undershirt. It really was adorable how the garments hung so loosely off of both her and Ruby. Like small nightgowns that extended just below the waist.

"Well, I guess I'll get going," he told her as he left the bathroom. As soon as he had been about to turn for the door, he felt a hand grasp his wrist and stop him. He turned back to her. "Weiss?"

"Did you enjoy your night alone with Ruby?" she asked him.

The question came out of the blue, and he wasn't really sure how to answer it. The circumstances of the previous day had made that night anything but enjoyable. However much like he had done today with Weiss, Jaune had been there for Ruby in her time of need as well. Only where Weiss' need was physical, Ruby's had been emotional.

Jaune thought back to all they had done. He and Ruby had kissed. They had cuddled. He supposed that there had been physical comfort after all. And loathe as he was to admit it, as painful as the circumstances were, those experiences with Ruby had indeed been pleasant.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I guess I did."

Weiss frowned and nodded. "Then I have a request."

A request, rather than a demand. Interesting. "Yeah?"

"Since she got to... be alone with you last night, then I want time alone with you as well."

That sounded more like it. Much like Weiss had been jealous of Ruby receiving one of his shirts to sleep in, she was jealous of him spending the night alone with the redhead. He didn't mind honoring her request. After all, he had just spent the morning alone with her.

"Sure," he agreed. "What did you have in mind?"

She tugged on his wrist, bringing him to her bed before sitting down on it. "It's still morning, and there is still some time before classes," she explained. "It is within our rights to sleep in."

Weiss was correct on her assessment. "Right."

"Therefore I request that... that you spend the morning with just me," she said, again looking away from him as she laid down. As she moved the covers so that her legs and body rested underneath them. "At least for a little while."

It was a simple enough request that he could fulfill. Maybe his words had gotten through to her. Maybe she was fine with being seen as vulnerable in front of him. Maybe she did indeed trust him in her time of need.

"I can do that," he answered softly. Jaune could guess that by bringing him over to the bed with her that she wanted him to get in with her. He did so, slipping underneath the covers himself.

Weiss turned her back to him as she laid on her side. Reaching back behind her, she grabbed one of his arms and pulled it so that it was wrapped around her. So that the front of his body was pressed up against the back of hers. "Like this," she demanded softly.

Once again Jaune obliged. Settled in next to her, he had to admit that it felt nice. His arm was around her torso protectively, and his hand rested on her stomach near where her injury had been suffered. A part of him wanted to try and use his Semblance and Aura to heal it right here and now, but he had no idea how a Grimm hybrid would react to it.

Weiss' own hand came up to clasp his, her fingers intertwining with his own. Her body shifted and adjusted, molding itself against the shape of his. He was as close to her as he was when they normally slept together along with Ruby. Only rather than the two pressing themselves against him while on his back, he was spooning her. The difference in height and body mass once again became abundantly clear.

No further words were spoken, and Weiss' breathing evened out a few minutes later as she fell asleep. Jaune wasn't tired, and couldn't force himself back to sleep. He had time to think now. Time to bask in the moment of holding this beautiful girl in his shielding grasp.

For someone as strong and aggressive as Weiss, it was surprising to see her take such a submissive position with him. To see her in such a vulnerable state. He was sure moments like these would only come in private. Still, it was nice to see nonetheless.

It wasn't just her, either. Ruby enjoyed cuddling as well. After what he had learned about the girl's mother, maybe it made sense. The girls seemed to seek out physical comfort in that way. They seemed to want to be held. To be protected. To be taken care of. Maybe he was looking too deeply into it. Or maybe it made too much sense. If they had been torn away from their parents at such a young age, maybe they subconsciously craved this kind of affection. This kind of protection. This kind of loving reassurance.

As Jaune held Weiss tightly against him, he knew it was something he could provide willingly. He would love and protect these girls until his last breath. Someone had to.

* * *

Later in the day, their first class was Hazel's. Weiss' injury was healing remarkably quickly, but he still attended to it dutifully. He marveled at how fast hybrids could heal even major tissue damage, but they were still limited in some aspects. It hadn't been as pleasant when Ruby barged in mid-dressing and Weiss nearly stabbed him in her outrage.

Instead of the usual sparring lessons that followed in Hazel's classes, he had them seated. Jaune wondered why. Hazel wasn't the type to work from a book and so far all of his lessons had been very physical. The man stopped, turning his attention to Weiss who stood up straight.

"You children, you are very strong. Much stronger than any normal human. This has its limits," he locked his gaze with hers, Jaune noticing her complexion growing paler. "If wounded grievously enough, not even a hybrid could survive unaided."

He turned away from her, Weiss shooting Jaune an accusatory look. Jaune shrugged, unsure how the man knew.

Hazel continued. "Though you are far hardier than any human, can survive more than any, it is a misnomer to think that you are similarly more durable. In fact, a trained huntsman with aura can take far more damage than you without issue. One of you would be sliced open by a simple knife. A similar strike to a huntsman would result in the blade bouncing off."

He started pacing. "Part of your duty to Salem is fast approaching. Soon, four of you will be chosen, and only four, to partake in Salem's grand vision. Infiltration of the human society, and most especially the multi-nation event known as the Vytal Festival. The four chosen must have the ability to flawlessly appear human, and ideally the ability to use their Aura."

The larger man took a deep breath. "This is why you must learn to harness your innate humanity and unlock your Aura. This will be incredibly difficult for each of you, for some it would be impossible. To my knowledge, a few of you can reasonably blend in as human, and only two of you presently have Aura."

Jaune's head tilted. Two? Wait, Blake. Didn't she have her Aura?

"Jaune, step forward."

His eyes widened, feeling a dozen eyes turn toward him. Possibly many more depending on how many Wesson now had trained on him. "Um..."

Hazel glared at him, making Jaune wince. "The only reason most of them haven't noticed is because they're too naive. If I'm expected to make progress getting them up to speed, I will require your help in this."

Jaune nodded, throat dry. Hazel had just outed him in a big way. Walking up to him, Jaune tried not to look around the room. Tried not to drink in the stares of his classmates. Of the creatures that would kill him if they knew the truth. The hopefully absent suspicions of the girls he had grown close to. Would they think it a betrayal, him hiding that fact from them?

"Jaune, as Professor Callows has been oh so happily spreading around the school, is one of the most remarkable and strongest among you. Yet even with that," Hazel abruptly sliced Jaune's face, a knife drawn so fast that he hadn't even seen it. "His control is not perfect. Quite the opposite."

Jaune bit back the scream of surprise, biting his tongue. The wound didn't hurt as much, only stung. Despite himself, he willed his Aura forth and healed the damage in seconds.

"He has issues understanding how to keep his Aura up at all times, and does not have a proper grasp on his Semblance related to it. Semblance training is not something I expect us to go over before results are expected, but in time it will be a valuable tool." Hazel snapped his fingers. "But as you can see, this minor injury is already gone. More than healed, it has effectively been erased. This is the power of Aura. With your natural healing abilities boosted by Aura, theoretically you would be next to impossible to kill."

That hit Jaune. Was that the explanation for why Salem was so powerful? Was that her secret to immortality?

"Now, I would like a demonstration of a Semblance, if you wouldn't mind."

Jaune wanted to question why Hazel seemed to be speaking to someone else when, abruptly, he found a weight on his shoulders. His breathing hitched in his throat when the black tendrils snaked their way down his shoulders and around his neck.

"Hello again, lover."

Her voice was as sultry as ever, Jaune doing everything in his power not to flare his Aura to cast her off.

"You've left me ever so lonely, giving those two little snacks so much attention." Something flicked his ear. It was moist.

Hazel snapped his fingers, yet nothing seemed to happen. The tentacles remained around his neck, the legs dangling on his shoulders, Jaune daring not to move. Until he felt something pass between his legs, two black cat ears in a mane of wild, unkempt black hair rising into his field of vision from below.

Jaune, yelling, jumped back- the Blake that had draped herself around him vanishing into darkness. Looking back to where she had been last, Jaune did not see anything. Blinking, his head twisted wildly.

"Blake is the other hybrid who has her Aura and Semblance. Her Semblance is that of shadow projection, leaving duplicates of herself behind to confuse and fool the unwary and unobservant." Hazel's gaze settled on Wesson, who looked especially terrified. "Something many of you have discovered first hand." He then came to a grimace. "Only, where Blake has conquered her Semblance and can flawlessly integrate it with her natural talents, her Aura control is... unbalanced."

Jaune stood, wary, realizing now why the others always wore their battle gear and carried their weapons. There was no such thing as a non-confrontational class. Where was she? Where would she be?

"Jaune." Hazel's sharp voice broke his search. "I want you to flare your Aura for thirty seconds, hold it for all to see. Tell them how it makes you feel. Be honest. They will learn nothing if you are not."

Jaune swallowed, nerves building up inside. The same kind of nerves that just days ago would have made him sick to his stomach. Pushing it away, Jaune reached down for the flame within. The Aura born from his desire to survive. It enveloped him, burning white-gold across his body. His family filled his thoughts as he closed his eyes, a sea of dark blue and blonde hair. Warmth, comfort. Lilac eyes came next, a brighter blonde- strength and loyalty. Silver and icy blue followed, Jaune's eyes squeezing shut harder. Beauty, devotion, love. Something to fight for. Something to live for. Something to be strong for.

Abruptly a great weight landed on his shoulder. His body was still burning with aura, Hazel's hand laying heavy on him. Jaune was panting, he realized, so focused on summoning his Aura and maintaining it. He looked around the room to see disinterest and shock on several faces. Weiss looked fascinated, repeating something to herself. Ruby, on the other hand, Ruby looked overjoyed.

Jaune looked back to Hazel, blinking. "Did I do that right? Did I... say it right? I don't remember... what I said exactly."

Hazel nodded. "Aura is a representation of your soul, Mr. Jaune. Yours is quite strong. What you express like that cannot be wrong." Hazel pushed Jaune forward, the boy finding his footing unsure as he stumbled back to Weiss and Ruby. "Now, for the counter example. Jaune is the ideal to strive for. What to avoid... Blake?"

Jaune wasn't paying attention as he sat down, Ruby humming with excitement next to him. Weiss sat a few feet away, talking to herself as if working out a problem. Due to this, he did not see Blake appear. Only that now she stood next to Hazel and looked... he shook his head. That couldn't be right. She looked vulnerable? It was hard to judge, but her all too long, too thin legs no longer held themselves with the same superhuman elegance. They were planted firmly on the ground at an awkward angle, Blake hunched forward a bit, her tentacles jittering back and forth. With her face covered, it was impossible to call, but she looked uncomfortable.

"If you would please demonstrate."

Jaune leaned forward until Ruby's skeletal hand grabbed at his sleeve. Looking back, he saw something he wasn't used to. Fear.

Screaming tore his attention back, Blake's body erupting in a purple blaze. Her tentacles shrank away, blades burning away to normal human hands. Hands that clutched at her head, twisting into her hair as her eyes alternated between red and gold. Spittle flew from her mouth, her screaming forcing words out of her mouth.

"Mama! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! So sorry! I'm so sorry! Mama please! Daddy! Adam, I don't want this! I don't want you dead!" Her screaming followed her as she fell to her knees, her body quaking even as the purple light burned brighter and brighter. "I didn't mean to, I only wanted...I didn't mean to I only wanted..." Screaming turned to sobbing.

No one deserved to suffer like this. No one needed this kind of regret to plague them without help. Jaune stood, moving to help her. At least he would have if Weiss and Ruby both hadn't latched onto his arms. Blake's Aura seemed to stabilize even as she fell even further into a huddle on the floor, head buried into the ground. Her head snapped up at a speed that gave Jaune pause, worrying that she had snapped her own neck. That worry bled away quickly when he saw a most peculiar sight. Two same but entirely different sets of eyes peered back at him, alternating golden faunus and red Grimm.

"I wanna go."

All at once everything started moving. Jaune brought his arms up, flaring his Aura as Blake was suddenly in front of him. Weiss and Ruby had leapt backwards, the two of them fumbling for their weapons that they had not carried this far in. Blake was twisted, her hair alive, each strand becoming its own tentacle ending in a serrated blade. Her arms were now three long, powerful whips, all drawn back to come crashing down.

Crashing down they did, Jaune taking the brunt of the attacks with his forearms, jacket tearing even with Aura support. Jaune was sent reeling back by six more striking him in the face, tiny red blades digging at his eyes and mouth as Blake violently twisted her head. Jaw extending like a snake, her tongue split down the middle. Propelling herself forward, Jaune fell back- only for the Blake above to vanish, even as the grip of the tentacles to tighten as the real Blake appeared behind him. Eyes bleary, Jaune felt her breath on his ear.

"You're so tasty. I'm so very hungry."

Jaune, yelling, flared his Aura higher, driving his head back into Blake's face forcing her to loosen her grip. He didn't get a moment to take advantage of this as his feet were suddenly swept out from under him. Looking up, he saw Blake flickering back and forth, six phasing from one to the next, glowing a dull purple.

"Even if you say no, I won't stop feeding. I am very, very hungry and you are just so tasty!"

Bringing all of her tentacles up, Blake was ready to drive them down into Jaune's body. He didn't know the limits of his Aura, if he could tank this attack. Not that he would have to worry about it, Jaune's eyes widening as a familiar large, scarred hand grabbed hold of the tentacles. All but one of the Blakes vanished as Hazel pitted his strength against the crazed hybrid. A fight he all too quickly won, pulling Blake with a monstrous bellow of his own.

The smaller horror was lifted into the air before being slammed back down into the ground. Struggling and snarling, Blake tore into Hazel's arm as he pinned her underfoot. Spitting and howling, slowly the purple Aura around her faded, her body shifting back into what Jaune was familiar with. Four eyes became two, a twisting mass of fangs and tentacles became the scarred visage with lovely black hair. The ever changing number of tentacled whips coalesced into the two familiar limbs.

Still Hazel did not release his hold. As Blake's breathing settled, he pulled her forward as he drove his right fist into her face. A sickening crunch and the stonework cracking beneath made Jaune recoil back. Satisfied, Hazel released her before turning back to Jaune and the rest of the class.

"If you do not have a proper hold of your innate humanity, when you activate your Aura, it will drive you insane. You will become stronger, yes, but you will also risk losing what humanity is left. If that happens, then you are no longer any use to Salem. Just another monster, one of many expendable beasts. Like the recently twice departed Sky and Russell."

Jaune got to his feet, eyeing Blake. "Is she...?"

"She'll be fine." Hazel was quick to discount him, eyeing the girl with pity. "A consequence of her having her Aura unlocked before becoming a hybrid. She's naturally more disturbed. She's a sweet girl normally, if not shy."

Jaune stared at the lump on the ground, damages already healing themselves. Sweet? Shy? His throat was dry.

Hazel turned his attention back to the others. "You're doing well, but the road you have is harder than most. Don't let that slow you down. Have you found something you want to fight for? Something to be strong for?"

Jaune looked back to Blake, crumpled on the ground like a broken toy. He turned to Yang, who was eyeing him with some interest. Finally, Weiss and Ruby. Weiss was fussing over the damage to the classroom, mouthing off about Blake 'going off again'. Ruby, however, was smiling at him. Proud of him? Or something else? He imagined her with her silver eyes.

"Absolutely."

Hazel nodded. "Good. Now return to your seat and try to keep an open mind. You're going to need to be stronger than anyone for what you want."

"Yes, sir."

Despite his strong words, eyes lingering on the limp and listless Blake, an unease pervaded him. A quiet despair bloomed in his chest.

Even Blake was a victim of Salem.

* * *

Professor Rainart's class had been a truly eye-opening experience. How cool was it that her bestie and roomie was one of the two hybrids who had their Aura unlocked? Jaune truly was incredible. So much talent, so much experience, and yet he was so humble. So down to earth. So kind. Kind enough to put up with a screw-up like her.

The question now was, where was he?

Ruby hadn't seen Jaune leave at the end of class. He had somehow slipped out under the radar following the flurry of questions and activity that came with the aftermath of Blake's outburst. Students had been eager to learn about what to do, and more importantly, what _not_ to do following their classmate's breakdown. Weiss especially had been aggressive in her questioning of their teacher once class had ended.

The fact that Weiss had remained in the classroom made things even more peculiar. With Jaune missing, she would have expected that maybe the white-haired hybrid had snuck off with him for more of their personal time together. Yet she had not. Ruby's second instinct was that maybe Blake had abducted him to have her way with him. However, Blake remained as well, in no condition to partake in any of her usual antics following her demonstration. Yang remained behind as well, but as far as Ruby knew she had never shown a particular interest in Jaune. At least not anything more than something purely physical.

So where was he?

Ruby felt like a rudderless ship adrift in the sea as she wandered the halls. Normally she had the taller boy by her side everywhere she went. He had a sturdy and comforting presence, one she seemed to be innately attracted to. Not in a 'I want to mate with you' way, or anything like that! Not a 'let's form a pack together' type of attraction either! Nope! They were just friends! There was just something about his scent that drew her to him. That's all.

Even if she had told Yang otherwise. But that was just to get her away from Jaune. Though if she ever did decide to take a mate, he would be at the very top of her list.

Without him she felt alone again. Alone like she had before he arrived in the school. No one else went out of their way to spend time with her. Right now Ruby was probably emitting enough negativity to offset her naturally cheery demeanor. Maybe she'd make more friends if she kept sulking.

Her wandering found her at Professor Callows' classroom. The room was empty, but she opened the door and stepped inside nonetheless. Maybe Jaune was in here. Why he would be, she couldn't say. She just felt like it was a good idea.

"Jaune?" she asked to the seemingly empty room. The large and uninhabited room caused her voice to echo softly. There was no response, however.

With a frown Ruby found herself moving further in. Toward the door which led to the locker room. With the blood and sweat that students often found themselves coated with following a friendly spar in Tyrian's class, it only made sense that the locker room would be connected to this place.

Opening another door, Ruby found herself descending a flight of stairs. Something inside her continued to pull her to this location. A tingling in the back of her mind. Hairs standing up on the back of her neck. Almost as if there was an overwhelmingly negative presence down here. But that certainly couldn't be the case, right? Who would be down here when class wasn't even in session?

Then she saw it. She saw him. Standing near one of the walls with an outstretched arm supporting him, she saw a familiar mop of messy blond hair. Her heart soared at the sight of him. At least momentarily until she put the pieces together. The overwhelming negative presence was _him._

A large fissure snaked its way up the wall he leaned on, as if it had been struck repeatedly by his fist. She wondered why he had done such a thing. Not that random acts of violence were discouraged here at this school, but she wondered why he had chosen the wall and not a random opponent to strike like Yang might have.

She supposed there was only one way to find out. "Jaune?" she called again. This time her words reached their intended target.

The boy's body jerked suddenly, as if her voice caught him by surprise. He stood up straight as he turned around to regard her. "Hey, Ruby," he said weakly.

He looked off. Blue eyes, normally so bright and caring, were tinted red. The flesh around them was moist and puffy, as if inflamed by some sort of irritation. Was he ill? Is that why he was alone down here? Ruby sincerely hoped not. The last thing she needed was for Jaune to be ill again, and have to endure him risking his life in the Grimmlands for a second time.

She took a step toward him. "Are you okay?" Concern was heavy in her tone as she approached him. "Are you injured? Are you ill?"

Jaune stared at her for a few seconds before he began to shake his head. "You're really asking that," he asked in disbelief. "Am _I_ okay?"

Ruby squinted in confusion. "Well... yeah. You kinda disappeared after Professor Rainart's class. And now you're alone down here and your eyes look like they might have some sort of infection. I'm just... I don't want you to be too sick to fight again."

The memory of almost losing him was still fresh in her mind. The day after she had found her new best friend she had nearly lost him. She would never go through such an experience again. She would kill anyone who tried to take Jaune away from her again. Even if that meant taking on Professor Callows himself.

"You really are concerned about me," he asked incredulously. "Me and not you. How is that even possible?"

Ruby took one more step to stand right in front of him. She was forced to look up due to the height difference. "Jaune?"

A difference which he immediately negated as he sat down on one of the benches. He buried his face in his hands. "You didn't deserve this," he whispered bitterly. "None of you did. I'm so sorry..."

The redhead took a seat next to him. She didn't understand what was going on, but the negativity from him was overwhelming. Sorrow. Hatred. The emotions were practically oozing from his very pores. Ruby found herself staring at him, almost entranced by just how strong the feelings coming from him were.

They were beyond anything she had ever experienced before. Far stronger and more potent than any of Yang's wrath. Or Weiss' envy. Blake's lust. She couldn't explain why though. While negativity was a part of who they were as hybrids, there was something completely unique about what Jaune was displaying in this moment. Was it because he was so advanced for his age? Was it because he had control over both his Aura and his human form? If Ruby didn't know any better, she would say that this boy actually was a real life human in this moment.

"What didn't we deserve?" she asked with genuine curiosity. "Why are you sorry?"

Jaune's face lifted from his hands, and those moist blue eyes stared into her own. For long moments he just stared until he finally spoke. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"You don't remember either," he continued, ignoring her question. "But your dreams do. Your dreams remember. Maybe it's good that you can't remember your dreams either. After seeing what happened with Blake..."

He wasn't making sense. Ruby's concern for the boy only grew when she couldn't get a straight answer out of him. Something was wrong, and he didn't seem to be able to explain what it was or why. Was it her own fault for not being on his level? Or was he intentionally being vague?

Ruby knew one thing for certain, however. This wasn't the good type of negativity that Yang so often encouraged. Jaune was in pain. The same kind of pain she felt before he had arrived at the academy. The pain that came with her defect. Of being too positive.

Only unlike with herself, she knew she could do something to alleviate Jaune's pain.

She reached out with her Grimm arm and pulled the boy against her. Into a warm, tight embrace. He did not struggle. He did not protest. He merely leaned against her shoulder as she held him. In this position she held the dominant height, and her cheek came down to rest on the top of his head.

"I'm sorry," he repeated weakly. "I'm sorry..."

"Shh," she whispered. "It's going to be okay. Just relax."

"I'll stop her..." he muttered. "Somehow..."

Her. Who, Ruby couldn't say. In any case, she had witnessed enough pain from her best friend for one day. There would be no more talk of killing anyone.

Her skeletal hand stroked his arm. "Don't worry about her." She had no idea who he was talking about, but it didn't matter. "Just rest."

Ruby had never intentionally used her power on him, but right now she thought he might appreciate a bit of it. Her Apathy ability would chase all of his negative emotions away. Blake wasn't here to complain about ruining her experience. Weiss wasn't here to butt in on the personal moment. Yang wasn't here to make suggestive comments. Nope, right now was all about Jaune and herself. About making him feel better.

Jaune's body seemed to lose its strength as it slumped against her, and she caught him with the support of her normal arm. His heavy weight felt good pressed on her side. Ruby rather enjoyed its mass. Its warmth. Its comfort. Even if she was the one who was comforting him, it didn't mean that she couldn't also enjoy the moment. She curled both her Apathy and normal arms around him, holding him in a tight, loving embrace.

For long minutes that's what she did. Jaune leaned on her physically just as she had been leaning on him emotionally for weeks now. It was what friends did for one another. They looked out for each other. Helped each other. He had done it for her last night. She would do the same for him right now. Jaune needed all the help he could get, and she was the only one who could provide it. Not Weiss. Certainly not Blake. Only her.

Her hand moved up to brush his golden hair. It felt nice. Everything about this moment felt nice. She hoped that he was feeling better now too. "How do you feel?" she asked softly.

It took a few seconds for him to reply. "I feel fine," he replied just as quietly.

That was good. She couldn't feel any more negativity from him anymore. She smiled at the thought. "That's right. Everything's fine. As long as I have you with me, everything will be fine."

"...I'm just really tired..." he continued groggily. "And I really hate this place..."

She understood exactly what he meant. "Yeah, the locker room is pretty smelly," she agreed. "But if you're tired maybe we could go back up to our room and rest. Would you like that?"

"...that's fine..."

Ruby smiled and stood, helping Jaune to his feet as well as she did. His knees were a bit wobbly, but that was fine. He could continue to lean on her. She would continue to help him the only way she knew how until he was out of whatever funk was affecting him.

A nice, pleasant rest in bed would certainly help to lift his spirit. If he needed her to hold him there as well, she would. She would not abandon him. Not for any reason. He was her roommate. Her friend.

One whom she cared deeply for, regardless of whether or not it was proper for a hybrid to do so.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Who would have thought that attending a school full of kidnapped children turned into Grimm hybrids wouldn't be all fun and games?

Still, there's plenty of fun to be had. The Jaune and Weiss scene was one of my favorites to write up to this point in the story. Like many of you have commented, there's a delicate balance of fluff and drama. Comedy and horror. Hopefully it's been an enjoyable mix so far.

As always my thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for their contributions and ideas. Couldn't do it without you!

And of course I hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter. You continue to be an inspiration for the three of us to write the best story we can.

Thanks for reading.


	14. Chapter 14

Jaune grieved that night in restless slumber for the lives all so wasted by Salem's malice. He took on the pain of their lifetimes lost, twisting through his mind as formless shapes. Scenario after scenario plagued him, of the girls being stolen away, their very identity ripped from their soul. All throughout, a voice in the back of his head kept whispering that they did not love him.

They did not care for him. How could they? Twisted, miserable wretches, all humanity buried and any attempt to reach it twisting them worse and worse. But none of the nightmares could ever become cohesive, none of them would solidify in his mind. Just a haze of misery pervading his very being, quiet dread compounded with all consuming paranoia.

He awoke, slick with sweat, Ruby having rolled onto her side away from him. It was too early. No Weiss on his other side yet, she had mentioned something about wanting one more night alone. His breathing came in shallow, his hands shaking. Staring at Ruby, he wondered if she had some kind of power to subdue him. No, not her. She couldn't do that to him. She wouldn't.

Never Ruby.

He pushed himself out of bed, keeping from waking the sleeping hybrid. Even if she found out what he was, she would accept him all the same. Jaune had to believe this. If he didn't, he would lose his one bedrock, his one pillar. He would be better off taking his chances trying to trek back to society on foot. Getting his shoes on, he resolved something in his mind.

He had to try and reach Ruby. Yang too, if they really were blood sisters. Jaune had always doubted that to himself, just from how different they looked, but it was a possibility. To reach them, he had to find out about them. Who they really were. He had to talk to the prisoner. Their mother.

Summer Rose.

It was dark still, earlier than he had ever ventured out. He would miss breakfast with Weiss, but she would have to get over it. He'd make it up to her later. The next day he'd make an extra special breakfast for her, try to teach her how to scramble eggs. She'd probably burn them again, but that'd be okay. He'd even welcome it. Anything to alleviate the pressure bearing down on him.

Strapping his shield to his arm, sheathing his sword to be safe, Jaune snuck out of the room. Every shadow crept over him like a looming Grimm, ready to strike. Every noise a potential attack. He had a working understanding of the castle now, including where the dungeon should be. He just had to make his way down there and talk to her. He felt a familiar presence, turning quickly to catch what he knew was over his shoulder.

Nothing. But that didn't mean no one.

"Blake. Where are you?"

"You saw me," came her voice. "How mortifying."

Jaune's eyes darted in the darkness, seeing nothing. "No, I didn't. I just knew you were there."

A soft giggle tickled his ears, sending a shiver down his spine. Twisting, nothing. "Silly thing, I wasn't talking about now. You saw me the other day. The true me."

Blue eyes narrowed, continuing his slow pace down the hall. "Which one was that?"

"Does it really matter?" Another giggle. "It's embarrassing is all, being seen so naked by the boy you adore. So sweet of you to care."

Hot breath against his neck.

"Could just eat you up."

Jaune turned on his heel, keeping from lashing out. He kept his heart beat slow, until that. The reminder of what she tried to do. What she would do.

What she had been forced into.

"I will save you." A promise he meant, but had no idea how he could keep.

"From what? It's so pleasant like this. Maybe you should join us..." Something grazed his arm. "Don't you think?"

Jaune reached the dungeon entrance, opening the doors wide. Because of how on edge he was from Blake, he was able to bring his shield up in time to block the twin brown boots flying at his face. Grunting with effort, the impact forcing him back along the floor, he looked up at what was attacking him. His eyes widened and his complexion paled at the sight of Tyrian, wrapping his fingers around the top of Jaune's shield, staring back at him.

His head tilted ever so slightly. "Hello, Master Arc. How are we doing this fine morning?"

With a yell, Jaune thrust his arm away, trying to dislodge Tyrian. Who only jumped off of the metal, flipping backwards and landing in front of Jaune. The madman grinned, eyes glowing purple.

"Glad to hear it!"

Twisting around faster than Jaune could react, Tyrian kicked him in the chest twice. Tail twisting around Jaune's neck, Tyrian launched him down the hall. Jaune, wits coming about him, raised his sword even as he crashed into an errant bookcase. Rising fast enough from the wooden debris, he lashed out at the already charging teacher.

Sword strike met scorpion tail, purple Aura blocking the blade as Tyrian went low. Kicking his feet out from under him, Jaune's sword clattering to the ground, Tyrian cackled. Jaune, knowing he had to be faster, stronger, called upon the fire within, boosting his Aura and feeding it into his body. Blocking Tyrian's stomp with his shield, Jaune tossed the older man away with a yell.

Applause met him as he got to his feet.

"You have gotten stronger, indeed you have!" Tyrian bowed before his student. "How privileged am I, but a lowly servant of Salem, to witness such fantastic growth from her second favorite student!"

Jaune gritted his teeth, Tyrian still faster. He managed to block the kick, but the tail strike grazed the side of his head. It did not, however, break the skin even as it rattled him, his Aura holding. What was one tail strike, however, soon became three as it swung back down into the back of his head and then back again into his face. Stumbling back, Jaune was unable to stop Tyrian from hammering his sides with blow after blow. Finally Tyrian spun around, smashing the full weight of his tail into Jaune's face. Sent flying, nose bleeding, he collapsed further away from the dungeon.

Tyrian grinned down at him, eyes glowing purple. His tail lashed about, carving grooves into the stonework walls. Jaune's chest rising and falling with every breath, struggled to get to his knees only to be kicked in the face again. Pushing through this, he got to his feet, swinging without being able to see. Tyrian deftly avoided every clumsy punch and strike. With a vicious grin he uppercut Jaune in return, the boy swearing he felt a tooth crack. Falling back, he watched as the tail hovered overhead, ready to strike. Squeezing his eyes shut, he willed his Aura as high as he could.

Only the sting never came.

"My, my. You truly did make friends with her didn't you?"

Opening his eyes, Jaune found a most peculiar sight. Tyrian's tail, restrained by all too familiar tentacles ending in red blades. Blake stood above the teacher, her feet clinging to the ceiling above.

"His flesh is mine to penetrate, you're too old for him!"

Tyrian's mouth fell in shock. "How dare! I am not too old! Tell her, Jaune!"

Jaune didn't get a chance to reply, Tyrian breaking out into a giggle fit. Breaking free of Blake's grip, sending the cat faunus tumbling to the ground, he leapt away. Jaune turned to check on Blake only to find her already gone.

"Ah, but no, she is right. It is not my job to kill you, Master Jaune. No, no. That wouldn't do at all! I will request that you do not attempt to visit our prisoner again, however. Otherwise we may yet have to punish you." The man began walking away, heading back to the entrance. He stopped for a moment, tossing a carefree grin over his shoulder. "Be sure and get ready for class today, Master Jaune. I do believe it will be ever so enlightening."

With that, the man was gone. Jaune, through the haze of pain, collected his weapon and mulled over what had happened. No warnings about going to Salem, no stronger reprimand than 'don't do it again'. Besides kicking his front teeth in, Jaune guessed he should count himself lucky. How did he know? How could he have known? It was ridiculous. It was absolutely absurd. Salem must have had a way to spy on him, but how? The Jellyfish weren't anywhere near here. What had they been called, Seers?

Blake had saved him. If only for her own reasons, she had protected him from Tyrian. Jaune grabbed his head, wanting to scream. What was he supposed to do?

He wandered on his own for a time, going outside and resting on a bench. His body was on fire, Tyrian hitting him harder than any hybrid had managed to so far. Only Salem eclipsed his power as far as he knew. Jaune amended that. Hazel was probably far stronger, but he had the good graces to not be hit by the giant man yet.

Yet. Jaune winced at his own phrasing. Everyone in this damn place was a potential foe. Everything. His ribs ached and though the bleeding stopped his nose still sang with pain. His jaw was the worst of it all, copper in his mouth. For a time, Jaune considered ignoring Tyrian's request to join the class today, trying desperately to let his Aura heal himself.

It wasn't long enough. Sooner than he'd like, the time to face the madman again came. Not enough time to be back to full, barely enough to heal half of what Tyrian had unleashed on him, and if he wasn't mistaken his Aura felt...weaker. Strained.

* * *

Jaune was the last to arrive to Tyrian's class, Yang already sitting up in the stands with Ruby. He looked for Weiss, her eyes widening when seeing him before looking away. Clearly annoyed he hadn't made breakfast for her. Ruby was watching him, excited. It would have made him smile if his jaw didn't hurt so much. Tyrian bowed to his student.

"Good of you to join us, Master Jaune! After our spar this morning, I knew you would be raring to go!"

Murmurs across the stands made Jaune grit his teeth. A mistake. He nodded.

"Yes, sir."

Jaune wondered what monster was arranged to tear him up today. Tyrian stepped away from the ring, nodding.

"Good, good. One student especially wished to challenge you this day. If would you be so kind!"

A loud crash caught Jaune off guard, barely turning in time to see a heavy cudgel smashing into the side of his face. Staggering back, managing to keep on his feet, Jaune was glad he had his Aura up. But only by so much, his vision swimming. Cardin had landed, leaping from the stands, barely keeping from snarling at him.

"Begin." Tyrian's voice was soft, easy to miss.

Jaune spit blood across the ground as Cardin drove his left fist into his stomach. Lashing out, he punched Cardin in the face, but only served to hurt his own hand. The Hybrid was barely moved by the blow. Scowling, Cardin returned it full force, sending the other boy back into the wall.

Blood pouring out of his nose again, Jaune gasped for air. He wasn't ready, he absolutely wasn't ready. Barely getting his arm up in time to block the next heavy swing from Cardin's cudgel, Jaune screamed as his Aura could only do so much. The wall behind him cracked, Jaune feeling the pressure burst through his arm and into his torso. Willing his Aura higher, he pushed back, forcing Cardin back a step.

"You're trying to kill me!"

Cardin's eyes blazed fury. "Of course I am!" The wall shattered with Cardin's next blow, Jaune barely avoiding it. "What do you think this is! We are hybrids, not huntsmen! We slaughter, consume and prey on the weak!"

He stumbled back, blocking blow after blow from Cardin, struggling to keep his footing.

"You are my prey," the hybrid screamed, jaw extending around a previous injury that had been bolted shut. "Because you are weak!"

Jaune lashed out with his sword, the blade striking one of Cardin's iron bolts holding together old wounds. Bouncing off with nary but a flesh wound, the hybrid continued his assault. Over and over again Cardin launched blow after blow into Jaune's defense, the human feeling as if his arm itself would shatter. He didn't want this kind of fight!

The blond stabbed forward, sinking metal into flesh. Cardin, howling as the sword pierced between his ribs, kicked at Jaune. A mistake on his part, the young man grabbing the underdeveloped limb and pulling forward on it. Without thinking, Jaune brought his foot up, smashing it into Cardin's exposed groin.

Dropping, taking Jaune's sword with him, Cardin screeched. Jaune stumbled back a step, concern rippling through him despite the circumstances. His body felt heavy, pushing his semblance like this torture to every muscle he had. Cardin was up faster than he could have expected, grabbing at Jaune. Instead the boy rolled forward, snatching the hilt of his sword and ripping it out of Cardin's side.

"I've come too far to be weak," Jaune muttered, more to himself than his foe. "I have too much left to do, to be weak!"

Grabbing his sword's hilt with both hands, he charged Cardin, semblance burning his Aura high. Bringing it down, Jaune aimed for Cardin's neck.

Only for it to be stopped dead.

Meeting the downward slash with an incredible punch, the metal bands around his fists cleaved in two and the blade piercing through bone, Cardin snarled at Jaune.

"If you're going to two hand a weapon," he brought his free hand up, cudgel in his grip. "Make sure it has some fucking weight!"

The blunt weapon collided with Jaune's right shoulder. The world seemed to slow around Jaune, as he felt his armored pauldron bend before shattering, each metal shard piercing his flesh. A familiar shattering rippled across his entire body, a burst of white exploding off of him. Then the cudgel continued, driving into the meat and bone itself, driving metal shards ever deeper in. A sickening crunch and blinding pain confused him as he was sent into a far wall.

Screaming brought him around again. His own. His shoulder, his arm, didn't work. Didn't feel right. Pain, blinding, arresting pain, worse than almost anything he had felt before. He couldn't focus, didn't see as Cardin came in with a low kick straight to his ribs. Already battered by Tyrian, Jaune screamed as his left ribs finally cracked. Skidding across the floor, he found a trail of his blood leading to here.

With Cardin hot on it. Cardin's left arm was a mangled mess, Jaune realizing that he had managed to keep a grip on his sword despite everything. Maybe because of the pain, in fact. He wanted to throw up, his stomach churning. The pain, everything was in pain. Burning, numbing, absolute pain.

"You are my prey, Jaune. Because you are weak."

Jaune screamed as Cardin drove his foot down into his back.

"You!"

Stomp!

"ARE!"

Scream!

"Weak!"

Another kick, this time to his right side. Delirious, Jaune found himself on his back now. His sword had fallen, but was still nearby. Everything Cardin had said was in his head, fuzzy and disoriented. Grasping at the hilt of his sword, he seized on one thing the boy told him.

Weight.

Cardin approached slow but sure, confident in his victory. He watched as Jaune sheathed his sword. A sign of submission, of defeat.

"Not good enough. I won't accept you giving in, meat," he snarled, blood dripping from his own mouth. Lifting the cudgel over his head, he savored the moment. "I'm going to take from you what that yellow bitch took from me. Maybe Salem will graft it onto me, if it's even worth my-!"

The sword, sheath and all, drove into his throat. Jaune rose quickly, Cardin dropping his own weapon as he staggered backwards. Though not sharp, even hybrids needed to breathe. Having the sheer weight of the considerable shield Jaune had stolen driven into him did Cardin no favors.

He did not stop, could not. Dared not. Bashing Cardin in the head over and over again, Jaune forced the hybrid onto the ground. First bruising and then breaking skin, feeling bone break beneath him, Jaune tossed away the shield and drove his sword downwards. Clean through, pinning Cardin through the chest into the ground, Jaune struggled to remain conscious. One motion, and Cardin would be dead. Just move the sword up a bit more, and not even he could heal from this injury.

Jaune's hand fell away, whatever strength left in it fleeing him. Stumbling to his feet, the world a spinning mess around him, he left his weapons where they lay. It was growing cold, he had to get the blood to stop. No, killing Cardin wasn't important. His Aura, he realized, had shattered. He wasn't healing anymore. Had to fix himself.

Had to try.

Tyrian declared his victory but Jaune didn't give him the time of day, dragging himself off as far as he could before collapsing.

Only then did he allow himself to cry.

* * *

Ruby felt the strangest sense of familiarity as she found herself heading down to the locker room. It had only been a few days since she last went down there to find the same person. Back then it had been an accidental run-in, drawn to the negative emotion Jaune had been giving off while he hid down there. While she had been searching for him, she hadn't expected to find him here the other day. Today, however, was entirely intentional.

He hadn't returned to class following his battle against Cardin. That in itself was concerning. Their fight had been a brutal one, and despite the fact that it had not proven fatal for either of the competitors, it had been one of the most visceral and savage of the bouts. Blood had been spilled. Weapons had impaled flesh. Bones had undoubtedly been broken. They weren't the only things that had been broken either. While Ruby did not have a perfect understanding of Aura, she could tell his had been broken. The fact that Jaune had begun taking physical damage once that shimmering light had coursed over his body supported her hypothesis.

Still, he had managed to defeat Cardin. The larger hybrid was a walking wall of muscle and bone. Armor and chitin plates alike covered his body and shielded him from harm. He was a tank of a young man, and the only hybrid who could match his physical strength was Yang, by virtue of her Grimm arm. The fact that Jaune had managed to go toe to toe with him and not only survive, but win, was a testament to his own power. Truly he was one of the strongest students in class.

However, the fact that he had never returned to class worried Ruby. The pungent scent of blood that filled her nostrils did not help matters either. She carried with her his sword and shield in order to return them to their owner. One should never be left defenseless in this school. As she grew closer to the door which would lead into the showers and changing area, the odor only grew stronger. As did the sense of despair. An all too familiar one.

Opening the door, Ruby caught sight of her quarry slumped up against one of the walls, and her left hand came up to cover her mouth and stifle a gasp. He was shirtless, and while this normally would have made her body feel things she was entirely unfamiliar with, she took no pleasure in the sight today.

She saw how Jaune's chest heaved with each deep breath he took. Pain was etched on his face, as if the very act of sucking in air hurt. The flesh above his ribcage was marked with black and blue splotches from bruising. Numerous other contusions dotted his torso and arms. As did lacerations ranging from minor scrapes to jagged gauges running down parts of his flesh. The fact that these injuries remained only confirmed her suspicions. Jaune's Aura had been broken, and he was suffering the results of the battle against Cardin.

Wasting no more time, Ruby dropped his sword and shield, rushed up to her best friend. "Jaune!" she cried out with concern. She wasn't about to stupidly ask if he was okay. He clearly was not. Instead her mind turned to how to make him better. "What can I do to help?"

The boy's head turned, but his posture did not improve. He made no attempt to cover himself up or shoo her away. That was good, since she wasn't about to abandon him in his time of need. "I don't know," he said softly.

Ruby frowned. "What about your Aura?" she suggested. "Can you do that?"

He shook his head. "No. It's gone." Red eyes widened, and he must have noticed that considering his next words. "For now at least. I've... never lost my Aura before. So I don't know how long it'll take to come back. Or recharge. However it works."

She nodded in understanding. Ruby didn't know how it worked either, but it was good to know that it would come back in time. Until that happened they needed a better way to treat his injuries.

"We should talk to Hazel," she suggested. "He knows all about Aura." Maybe the man would know some sort of trick in getting it back up and running. It would come natural to the burly man, unlike a hybrid like herself or Jaune.

Jaune again shook his head in disagreement. "No. No teachers."

As much as it pained Ruby to do so, she reluctantly agreed with his assessment. The last time Jaune had made his weakness apparent to a teacher, he had been cast out into the wild. Although this was Hazel rather than Tyrian, she would rather not take the risk in that happening again.

Jaune's breaths were ragged, and combined with the horrific bruising on his torso, she wouldn't have been surprised if several of his ribs were broken. One of his arms hung loosely as well. She hoped that wasn't broken too. The last thing he needed was to be seen as too weak to fight again. To be thrown to the Beowolves once more. In this state she wasn't sure he would make it back a second time.

Ruby blinked. This state. It occurred to her that he was still in his human form. That just wouldn't do. Jaune may have prided himself on being able to hold that disguise indefinitely, but it also had its drawbacks. The human body, while the perfect vessel for infiltration of the human kingdoms, was more fragile than their natural hybrid bodies. Its was weaker. Its endurance was inferior. Its healing ability was far slower.

If Jaune wanted to get on the fast track to recovering until his Aura was able to recharge, then he would just have to revert back into his Grimm form. A feeling of excitement shot through Ruby's body. After all this time, she would finally be able to see his Grimm form. What the young man looked like underneath the disguise. She only wished that it wasn't under these circumstances.

"Jaune," she said, kneeling down on the floor before him. "If you wanna heal faster, you have to go back to your Grimm form."

The boy next to her froze, and an immediate spike in negativity radiated from him. It only made her focus on him all the more. She saw with crystal clarity as he shook his head.

Once more she frowned. "But you have to," she insisted. "Until your Aura can help heal you, your body will heal itself on its own faster in your Grimm form. Like Yang and Weiss have before. Remember?"

Weiss had healed from being impaled through the stomach in only a couple of days. From what little she knew of human biology, that kind of recovery was beyond imagining for them. So Jaune's own internal injuries and broken bones would probably heal in a similar amount of time if he started right now.

He shook his head again. "I can't."

Ruby stared at him in confusion. "What do you mean you can't? Why not? If this is about secret horns and stuff I promise I'll look away."

"Ruby," he said forcefully. Yet laced in that force was unmistakable weariness. "I can't."

A soft and incredulous laugh slipped through her lips. She didn't find the situation amusing so much as she did ridiculous. "Of course you can. All of us can. It's not like you've been living in your human body for so long that you've forgotten how."

To her surprise, however, he nodded. "Yeah, it's exactly that," he agreed. "I... forgot how."

Jaune was being difficult, and Ruby was not appreciating it. She only wanted what was best for him, and he was fighting her every step of the way. The idea that he could no longer revert back to his Grimm form was ridiculous. Not even she was about to believe such an implausible lie.

She nudged him lightly on the shoulder, taking care not to poke anywhere near a place that showed visible injury. The fact that he didn't flinch or gasp when her finger prodded into his meaty shoulder told him that it had been okay.

"Come on," she continued as she poked him. At this point it wasn't even about seeing his Grimm form anymore. She was genuinely concerned about his well-being, and this was the only way she knew to make him better. "No one forgets how to transform. Look if you really need me to look away while you do it, I will. I just... I just want you to feel better. Okay?"

Genuine concern and compassion that would have made her a pariah to her peers was on full display here. She knew Jaune could tolerate it. That he could tolerate her. He understood her on a level that no one, not even her own sister, could. And in a way, she felt like she understood him in a way that no one else could either. After all, they were best friends. They had been roommates long before Weiss had taken up residence in their room and bed. If anyone could convince Jaune to lower his guard, it was her.

That was what made it so frustrating when he once again refused to do so. "I can't," he breathed tiredly. Hopelessly.

"Yes you can!" she said, letting her frustrations get the better of her. "You can. I can. We all can. It's not like you're a stupid human or something! That's the only way you'd not be able to do it!"

Jaune's body stiffened once more. And like before, the negative emotions emanating from him spiked in intensity. His head lowered to stare down to the floor. "Well crap. Guess you're not buying that excuse."

"Jaune, you're not a human," she continued to press. "So for once stop pretending to be and just do what I say!"

He said nothing. He only continued to stare at the floor between his legs.

Crimson eyes scanned over bloody and bruised tan flesh. In this moment he appeared as weak and frail as a real genuine human. He looked broken. Defeated. More than just looked, however. He sounded defeated. He sounded tired.

Jaune bled red in his disguise like any good hybrid would. Right here he was playing the part to a tee. If he were to come out and tell her that he was a real life human, she might even believe him.

Tiny hands squeezed into fists. She was getting tired of this stupid game of his. Or his stupid pride. Whichever it was, it ended here. Her feelings for him would not get in the way of what was best for him.

"Jaune," she repeated, this time a hint of edge slipping into her tone. "Come o-"

"What if I was?" he suddenly asked.

The words stopped Ruby dead in her tracks. For a few seconds they lingered in the air, but soon enough his questioned prompted one of her own. "What?"

"What if I was a human?" he continued. "What would you do if I was a real human who lied this whole time?"

What a ridiculous question. One so unfathomable that it didn't even deserve contemplation. However, for his sake, she would answer it.

"That's impossible," she explained. "I mean, a human coming to a school full of Grimm hybrids? How would that even happen?"

For the first time in the conversation, a tiny laugh slipped through Jaune's lips. He winced immediately after, the sharp jerk of the laugh causing his ribs pain. "Maybe a really stupid human could manage it by mistake. Maybe he wound up here completely accidentally."

Ruby could agree with that opinion. It would take an incredibly stupid human to come to a place like this. "Salem wouldn't allow it," she continued. "And even if she did, he'd be Grimm food in like, a day. Less than a day. There's no way they'd survive as long as you have."

Her attention as drawn to the far louder, and more painful laugher from Jaune this time. He smiled through gritted red-tinted teeth, and the hand on his uninjured arm came up to hold his stomach as he continued to laugh. Ruby eyed him curiously, wondering what kind of secret joke could have caused such an outburst.

"Grimm food," he echoed. "Like getting swallowed whole by a King Taijitu." It was an oddly specific example, but a realistic one nonetheless. "You're right, Ruby. A stupid, ignorant, and untrained human would be Grimm food on their first day."

She continued to eye him with concern. Was this behavior as a result of his injuries? Was infection and fever setting in so soon, and it was causing him to become delirious? Right now Jaune was speaking nothing but nonsense to her. Maybe she should use her Apathy arm to calm him down. She would feel guilty doing so, but it had worked in the past when he was in distress.

In the end she decided to hold off on that option for the moment at least. She took hold of his hand with her own human one and squeezed down on it. "See? You said it yourself. No human would survive here."

"Unless they were a really good liar," he continued. "Unless everyone else lied for them. Whether they knew they were doing it or not."

"And why would they do that?" she asked. "Lie knowingly?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. I've asked myself that too. Maybe because a certain teacher is a sadistic psychopath who likes to see others suffer. Maybe he'd keep the lie going for his own sick pleasure."

Jaune was describing Tyrian. This Ruby knew for sure. The man himself was a faunus rather than a hybrid. Was it possible that the professor would in fact lie for his own twisted amusement?

"Maybe that human kept lying through his teeth to survive," Jaune continued. "Maybe everything he did, everything he said was about pretending to be human, was because that was all he could do."

Since when had the hypothetical human become a he? She supposed it didn't matter. None of this did. She had to get him to transform in order to start healing his injuries. Unlike Weiss' own, Ruby knew she had no way to treat Jaune. Simple soap and water would not help broken bones and internal bleeding.

"Jaune," she said gently, her fingers once more closing over his. "You have to transform. Please."

Jaune's head came up and turned to face her. Wet and weary blue eyes gazed into her own. The tiniest of smiles curled on his lips as he stared at her. "I can't."

For long seconds blue and red met, each of the teens unblinking as they continued their unintentional stare down. Neither gave in. Neither flinched. Then it hit her, and her eyes widened. It hit her with the force of lightning. Her whisper sounded as loud as thunder in her ears.

Her lips quivered, and her voice shook as she struggled to get the words out. "You really are human..." she gasped.

Jaune's reaction was the last one she could have expected. He smiled. He smiled a wide and almost relieved grin, showing blood-stained teeth once more.

Her hand loosened its grip on him, allowing it to fall back to his side. "You can't be," she breathed. "Jaune, you can't be human. You can't! You're my friend, Jaune! You can't be human!"

"I tried," he said as the grin dissipated. His head tilted to rest against the wall again, breaking eye contact with the hybrid. "I tried so hard to survive here. I did my best. I saw terrible, horrible things. I saw what you would have been if you had never suffered this horrible fate. I saw your mother..."

Ruby's head was violently shaking. Liquid built up in her eyes, and each blink and sharp twist of her head cast it from her face. "Tell me this is a lie," she whispered. "Tell me this is an act. A really stupid act about trying to fit in being human. This is all just practice. Right, Jaune?"

"I don't know if my Aura will come back in time to... to heal me." His voice was weak, and he was ignoring her pleas. "But if it doesn't, can you do one thing for me?"

The girl stood, and she took a step back away from Jaune. This was too much. Too much to handle. Her friend, her best friend, the one who had accepted her from the day they met, was a human. A human she was supposed to hate. Supposed to kill.

Seconds passed and she didn't answer him. Jaune's eyes were closed as his head continued to lean back against the wall. He wound up speaking anyway. "Could you make sure Blake doesn't keep my head in a jar? Even though I'd be dead, I don't think I'd like that very much..."

She took another step back. Her primal instincts were screaming at her to attack. Jaune was a vessel of despair right now. Fear. Regret. Pain. The young man was the embodiment of negative emotion. She was unbelievably attracted to him. Only now it was for all the wrong reasons. Her attraction did not come from a desire to form bonds of friendship. It did not come from the desire to take him as her Mate.

It came from the desire to kill him. To tear and rend flesh. Like any Grimm would do to any human.

Ruby turned and fled. She ran as quickly as her legs would take her, for if she didn't, she feared that she would lose control. She feared that her Grimm instincts would take control, and that she would rip her best friend apart in a savage rage. Her soft, squishy, human friend.

Warm liquid continued to stream down her cheeks as she ran. Even out of the locker room, even back in the dormitory halls, she felt his despair. Though whether or not it was present from this far, or if it was the mere memory she carried with her, she could not say.

All she knew was that she needed to get away. She needed time to collect herself. She needed time for him to hopefully recover and return to his old self.

An old self which would tell her that this was all just one big prank. That he was a hybrid just like her.

That he wasn't a creature that she was made to kill.

* * *

Blood-red eyes stared into the mirror. Clawed hands curled on the bathroom vanity. It wasn't often that she got to enjoy alone time anymore. Then again, that was entirely by choice. The word 'enjoy' was a stretch. More than a stretch. It was a lie.

The dorm room may have been small, but right now it seemed like an empty void to Weiss. Loneliness was consuming her, and she didn't like it. There had been a point in her life where she thought she enjoyed her solitude. She thought she had enjoyed sitting in her ivory tower looking down on all of the inferior hybrids. Until she met him. Until she befriended him. Until she befriended even Ruby.

Neither were here now. In fact, she hadn't seen the two since Professor Callows' class. Jaune's injuries were severe, and she knew from personal experience that sometimes one needed to be alone in order to recover. She certainly had, until Jaune had come in to aid her. A warmth crept onto her cheeks as she recalled the experience. Recalled his touch. Recalled his eyes wandering across her exposed body. Yet he had not made any sort of move. The gall of that boy to not make a move! How was he able to restrain himself from taking her!

The thought was a frustrating one, only adding to her building anger. Alone in their dorm room, she longed for her roommates to return. Even the one who lived underneath the bed. Blake's absence was suspicious, and Weiss briefly wondered if the three of them were off somewhere having a good time without her. The pang of jealousy ate at her stomach, but her ego was soon able to squash it. No, if Jaune wasn't interested in taking her as a mate, he certainly wouldn't take either of those two.

But that wasn't to say that Blake wouldn't take him as one... by force if necessary.

Weiss snarled, turning away from the mirror and walking back out into the main room of her new home. Taking a seat on the bottom bunk, the sheets felt cold. Normally they would have been warmed with the flesh of three bodies. Tonight, however, there was only one. It had been so long since she had felt the warm embrace of another. Now that she was ready to feel it again, the thought of not being able to have it only perpetuated her already foul mood.

Her mind wandered back to Tyrian's class. Both Jaune and Cardin had left the arena in rough shape. She hoped the blond boy was okay. If only she knew where he was, she considered returning the favor he had so graciously bestowed upon her.

 _"You know I would never hurt you, right?"_

The words echoed in her mind. They filled her with an unusual and unfamiliar warmth, that for the moment made up for the fact that their bed was cold as ice.

 _"Sit on the edge of the tub."_

In an instant that warmth was replaced by the chill that ran down her spine. A heavy breath crept through parted lips. Since when had he grown to be so assertive? So dominant? Who was he to tell her what to do!

Weiss recalled the feeling of him pressing down on her injured stomach in response to her verbal barbs at him. He _had_ wound up hurting her, but that wasn't a problem. It had been a different kind of hurt, after all. She had told him she would not forget that, and she wouldn't. She didn't want to forget. She would never forget just how capable he was of treating her in such a manner...

The smile that had begun to form on her lips slipped away as the sound of footsteps came to the door. Weiss stood up, eyes trained on the door as it swung open.

To her disappointment, it was her redheaded roommate who stepped inside.

"Ruby," Weiss greeted neutrally. "Where's Jaune?"

A surge of negativity erupted from the other girl. Weiss took note of how her usually cheery demeanor was entirely absent. However, the amount of negativity emanating from Ruby right now was absolutely off the charts.

"I don't know!" Ruby shouted quickly. "Don't look for him, okay?"

Red eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Excuse me? Who are you to tell me-"

"Just don't!" she cut off, and begun pacing back and forth around the room. "I didn't find him either, so just don't bother. Got it?"

Ruby was being unusually assertive. Unusually pessimistic. Both traits were normally positives for hybrids. However, Ruby wasn't any normal hybrid, as everyone knew. Both of these traits were completely foreign for the younger girl.

Weiss enjoyed order. Right now this situation was absolute chaos. It simply wouldn't do. "I don't know what's going on, but the fact that you were missing, and that Jaune and Blake still are is suspicious. Don't deny it."

The pacing hybrid stopped and turned to stare into mirrored glowing eyes. "There's nothing suspicious about Jaune," she snapped, leveling a finger at her. "Got it?"

Weiss slapped the offending finger out of her face. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner!"

"Just drop it, okay? Go... go do something else!"

This was going nowhere, and Ruby was being a particular pest. It was obvious that Weiss wasn't going to get a proper explanation out of her tonight. Not that she could expect anything productive out of the freak.

"I'm going to take a shower," the white-haired hybrid finally said. "Not because you told me to do something else, but because I must maintain my beautiful appearance. And I must smell nice for when Jaune returns."

Ruby froze. Fear radiated from her body. She glanced away as she spoke. "I don't know if he's coming back..."

A frown crept onto her lips. So she had been correct in her assumption. Jaune was wounded, and wanted to stay away from them in order to not show any weakness. That was rich coming from the guy who had barged into her old room telling her that he wouldn't harm her. That he wouldn't take advantage of her own time of weakness.

Did he not have the same faith in herself? Did he think that she would kill him in his vulnerable state?

When she _did_ find him, she would give him a piece of her mind. And several sharp pokes from her glorious horn. That would teach him to disvalue the bond they had formed.

Weiss harrumphed, moving to the bathroom once more so that she could bathe. "Very well. I'll just have to see him tomorrow at breakfast."

Without waiting for a reply, she slammed the door behind her, and began disrobing herself for her nightly shower.

* * *

Ruby watched the other hybrid leave, and moved to sit on the bed. Once more she was left alone with only her thoughts.

Or at least she thought she would have been alone.

The soft hiss of laughter sounded from underneath the bed. There was only one hybrid it could have been.

"Where did you come from?" Ruby asked the room, unable to see the target of her conversation.

 **"From shadows."**

Ruby nodded. Blake had probably slipped in unnoticed the moment Ruby pushed the door of their dorm open. The elusive hybrid could move among the shadows unnoticed, creeping in and out of rooms without a sound. Without warning. Without her prey even knowing she was there.

Even Ruby herself...

A sudden jolt of fear shot through her body. If Blake had been missing until just now as Weiss had said...

"Blake. Where were you today?"

More hissing laughter. She sounded more like a King Taijitu in this moment than a proper hybrid. And much like a snake, she was coiled and unseen, ready to spring out at a moment's notice when the time to strike came.

 **"You know,"** came the cryptic reply.

Ruby didn't _know_ , but she feared that she might have. She decided to play dumb, just in case Blake wasn't where Ruby feared she had been.

"I don't know," she lied. "So why don't you tell me?"

 **"No. You** _ **know.**_ **"**

The laughter resumed, this time like the wheezing last breaths of a dying old man. Whatever Blake was laughing at wasn't just funny. It was hilarious.

"Blake, I don't know where you were. This isn't funny."

 **"Isn't it, though?"** the hidden girl asked. **"I think it's delightfully delicious. I know you know."**

Ruby stood. This was getting old really fast, and she wasn't in the mood to deal with Blake's riddles. "Look, if you're going to be a pest, I will drag you out from-"

 **"You know Jaune's a human."**

Ruby's own words died on her lips upon hearing that. Her throat went dry, and for a moment she forgot how to speak.

Taking a few steps away from the bed, Ruby turned and looked down to see a single tentacle protruding from underneath it. It waved lazily in the air, as if taunting her to come and grab it.

 **"I'm so happy you know,"** the elusive hybrid continued. **"It's so hard to keep secrets as wonderful as this one..."**

Red eyes widened. "You knew?"

 **"Of course I knew. How could I not know the sweet, delicious scent of human fear? My poor baby Adam had those same feelings before his untimely demise..."**

The way which Blake spoke of Adam almost made her sound mournful. However, Ruby knew better than to confuse such a tone with actual sympathy and regret. More likely Blake simply thought of the faunus as a favorite toy which she had unfortunately broken by playing with it too much. New toys could always be gained, however. New humans to toy with...

Humans like Jaune.

A surge of rage coursed through Ruby's veins. "So you knew this whole time. And you kept him alive because of it?"

 **"His fear... So very, very tasty..."** The tentacle waved lazily in the air. **"I've accepted Jaune for what he is. Racial equality for all..."**

A dark cackling followed the statement, and Ruby's brow furrowed in confusion. Blake was undoubtedly the most deranged of all of her peers, so it wasn't a surprise that Ruby couldn't make out the meaning of her words. Or why she found that statement so funny. She seemed extra strange tonight.

 **"Accepted him~ and loved him~ all~ the~ same~,"** Blake sang. **"What will you do with our boy, Ruby? Will you kill him?"**

The same fear Ruby had felt earlier today returned. The thought of killing him had indeed crossed her mind. It wasn't a thought she had wanted to think. It had been instinct. Pure instinct. She had worked hard to squash those urges.

She feared that she would not be able to.

"Never," she said regardless. "Jaune... Jaune's my friend."

Was he though? He was a human. A human who had been living a lie for months now. Could he really still be her friend if he was an entirely different person than she thought he was?

 **"Is he?"**

She hated how Blake had echoed her own thoughts.

Jaune could be dead at this very moment. If his Aura didn't come back, he wouldn't last the night. Ruby wanted so desperately to do something, but she knew she couldn't. She couldn't tell the teachers to give him medical attention. Such a thought was out of the question at this school. And if Ruby went down there herself, she didn't know how she would react to a human giving off all that negativity.

Telling Weiss was also unacceptable. She very well may kill him out of principle. And then there was Blake...

It made sense that Blake would never even consider lending a helping hand to Jaune. After all, she merely used him and harvested his negativity for her own twisted pleasure.

Ruby merely had to hope that Jaune was as strong as she and everyone else always thought he was. Even if he was only human.

 **"Or..."** Blake whispered, tentacle writhing with excitement. **"We could make him one of us. "One of us. One of us..."**

Eyes shot back over to the floor near the bed. Ruby stormed over and grabbed hold of the tentacle with her enhanced hand.

"Don't you dare," she hissed. The idea of throwing Jaune into the Pool of Destruction was utterly abominable. "Salem would never allow it."

Truthfully Ruby had no idea. Obviously Salem had allowed or arranged for a human to attend her academy. For what purpose, Ruby had no idea. However, considering that she had done so, it was likely that turning Jaune into a hybrid against their mistresses wishes would be a very bad idea.

 **"He could be like me. After all, I turned out so well..."**

It was another horrifying thought. Jaune, the kind and caring young man who had become her first friend, turning into a twisted monstrosity like Blake. No. Never. Absolutely not.

Ruby would die before she allowed that to happen.

Yet... why? He was only a human, after all. Why should she care?

Blake's laughter hissed again, and a second tendril came out and forcibly removed Ruby's hand from her. The tentacles slithered back under the bed, and only the chilling echo of Blake's soft laughter was left to remind Ruby that she was indeed here. The other hybrid obviously deemed their conversation to be over. That was fine. Ruby had no interest in continuing it anyway.

Knowing that Jaune was unlikely to return tonight, even if he did survive, Ruby climbed up the ladder of the bunk bed. For the first time in forever, she lay on her old top bunk. Cold. Alone. Without her bestie and roomie.

For the first time in months, sleep did not come easily.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** And we're back. Apologies for not updating last week. I decided I wanted to write something else for a change, and the idea of a chapter 2 for **I Want One!** struck. A little variety from time to time is a good thing.

Anyway, this chapter was a lot of fun to write. Major progression and all that. Oh, and hybrid Blake is so much fun to write. Something that all of us involved in the project agree on. Speaking of them, my thanks as always go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for all of their help.

So what did you think? Not only about Ruby finding out, but about Blake knowing the whole time? What do you think happens now? Exciting stuff is on the horizon.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.


	15. Chapter 15

The fight may have ended physically, but it still raged in his mind.

Fury filled Cardin, consuming him like it had never before. Not even the Blonde Bitch had wounded him so, despite what she had torn away from him. Snarling, he tore away the sword left sheathed in his torso. This proved a horrendous mistake, nicking one of his own lungs in the process, blood filling his throat. Punching the ground with his ruined fist, black blood bubbling and spilling, Cardin took several deep breaths.

Already his healing was kicking in. By tomorrow, he would be back at full strength. And so would Jaune. His eyes narrowed, digging his split limb deeper into the cracking stone. He hadn't even reverted to his Grimm form! The bastard was toying with him! But if he acted quickly, he might be able to find where the miserable wretch dragged himself and finish this. Only, stopping as the freak zoomed down and collected the discarded weapons, it seemed others had similar thoughts. Brawnz was at his side.

"Come on, let's get you somewhere private. We can probably bind your arm back together with some more iron bars..."

Struggling to stand, Cardin brushed Brawnz away.

"I have matters to settle. He does not get to decide my fate like this. Not like this!" Cardin stopped, blood spilling from his mouth again.

"He'll kill you if you try."

Cardin turned on Wesson, the taller boy looking toward the locker room. "Him, or his friends. Beneath our notice, he has acquired a frightening group." The Death Stalker hybrid's miniature limbs clicked beneath his coat. "Somehow he has even tamed the beast."

Cardin glared up at the stands. The Blonde Bitch was watching what was unfolding with interest, the White Witch was pretending to ignore the comings and goings of those beneath her. Yet he could tell, she was concerned. Weakness. The Black Beast, she was out of sight. Typical. Preferable. None of this was typical any longer.

The Blonde was increasingly affectionate towards her freak of a sister, after years of eroding feelings for the illborn spawn. The White was similarly acting far too inferior for his tastes. Before, while her looks were hardly worth anything to a creature as virile and potent as Cardin, too dainty and bone thin, her attitude was perfect. Befitting her perfected state, which even he couldn't quite match. Ever since the new freak came onto the scene, her haughty demeanor was fractured by unsightly affections.

Bastards and whores the lot of them. Only the Black Beast remained inscrutable, Cardin still unable to get a read on her. The fact that Jaune still lived spoke volumes to him. Pain, unspeakable agony, tore through the larger boy as his ribs began regrowing. Baring his blackened fangs he forced himself away from the two.

"I will prove, I am strong." Came the hissing voice through clenched teeth.

Wesson and Brawnz shared a look before shrugging. "Whatever you choose. Fight well, die well, for our mother Salem and her everlasting glory." Wesson turned to leave.

Brawnz lingered for a second longer. "This is your fight. I cannot aid you."

Cardin spit at his feet. "If you did, I'd kill you myself!"

Brawnz continued. "I am going to kill Yang, next we fight. I promise you that here and now. When I face her next, I will avenge all she has taken from us. If you die, I will avenge you as well."

Cardin barked a humorless laugh. "Only one who's dying is Jaune. Going to find him and I'm going to use his bones in my next suit of armor!"

He pushed on. Brawnz holding a vendetta against the Blonde Bitch was inane to him. He could almost grasp it, holding some measure of thanks for Jaune putting an end to the abomination made of his followers. Yet it always eluded him. If she slaughtered them so, it was because she was strong and they were weak. What did it matter that she had killed them?

Cardin didn't begrudge her slaying his own followers. They were weak, she was strong. It was her every right to put them down. That was how things worked. That was why he was going to put Jaune's head into a pit with a spike driven through it. He would never forgive her for mangling his manhood for daring to try and dominate her as was natural. That was an injury he would force her to suffer for, but only after she carried a brood of his own as repentance.

He would have considered taking her sister as well, but the abomination put him off in the worst ways. Too small, too rail thin, and the feeling she put out was sickening. She was useless as a hybrid, weak and dependant on her own sister. He couldn't recall her being in a single fight that wasn't against a pure Grimm. Useless, worthless, disgusting. Not even good for breeding stock like her elder would be.

Struggling forward, he vowed to himself. She would be next. He would take her by both horns and rip her disgusting head in half. He would ruin her corpse, bisect her, dismember her, stomp her remains into so much meat and bone fragments until not even Salem herself could bring the little horror back. Just as soon as he was done doing worse to Jaune.

Dragging himself into the locker room, he stalled.

People, talking.

" _What if I was a human?"_

Jaune. Cardin's eyes widened.

He stopped, and he listened.

" _What would you do if I was a real human who lied this whole time?"_

On the conversation went. Higher Cardin's rage built. A human? A human! A human! Of course he was a human! Of course! He felt so stupid, how could this have gone on so far! Keeping himself from smashing the lockers, he fell back. The freak was going to abandon her victim, more proof of her failure as a hybrid. Biting back a snarl, Cardin took what he learned to heart.

Jaune's Aura wasn't recharging. Who knew if it would? Maybe Hazel, but Cardin didn't care for the larger man regardless. Too much shitting on about being more human. Human. Human. The hybrid grinned a wicked grin, blood leaking between his teeth. Jaune wouldn't heal in time. By tomorrow, Cardin would be back in fighting shape.

All he need do is lay in wait, slaughter the man where he stood. Moving out of sight, the freak rushed by. Maybe he could even do it now, while the weak, defenseless human suffered his final nightmares. Stumbling forward, Cardin took a good look at Jaune.

Sprawled out, bleeding, still just as wounded as before. Even if Cardin left him alone he may not survive. He wouldn't allow that. Jaw lowering, the hulking brute would eat his heart while it still bled.

At least, he would have. A light slash from above left a cut across his face, Cardin recoiling back. Biting back a scream, he looked wildly around.

In the shadows, red eyes looked back. Twin red blades on the ends of long tentacles clashed, sending sparks everywhere.

Cardin retreated.

He would find Jaune alone, the next day. Before he could recover. Cardin would kill him. He would not be denied this.

* * *

Ruby had just fled, the truth of his nature too much for her to bear. Jaune had been content to allow his eyelids to droop, to rest and fall asleep, perhaps never to wake up again. He was tired. Both physically and emotionally. He had hit rock bottom. This place had finally broken him.

But its inhabitants had other ideas. As he leaned against the wall, all hope for his personal mission gone, he felt an all too familiar presence lurking about.

He wanted to laugh at his sorry luck, but his ability to find humor in the macabre had met its quota for the day. So this was how his journey ended. He couldn't say it was an unexpected way. If anyone or anything here was going to kill him, Blake was certainly at the top of the list.

The clicking of barbed tentacles skittering across the ceiling filled his fading hearing, and from shadows she descended upon him. Black hair and white flesh filled his vision, the only color coming from a pair of glowing crimson orbs staring down at him.

Jaune looked up weakly to see a long tongue circle slowly around her lips. She was finally going to get to enjoy the meal she had long desired to devour. All of her rhetoric about how tasty he was, about how she could just eat him up, was finally coming to pass. He wondered how long it would last. How long would his body be alive to feel the pain of being ripped apart by the monster girl? Jaune tried in vain to fire up his Aura, the last and desperate part of his self-preservation instincts kicking in to ward off the girl. But the fire was gone. The white-gold light from within him had fizzled out. It felt like hours since the fight, but the rational part of his mind told him it had only been maybe thirty minutes. Would it ever return? Would it come back just in time before Blake sunk her teeth into his flesh?

Horrific lines of teeth emerged as Blake opened her maw, and that long tongue of hers lashed out to taste her prey. It came down onto his chest, and dragged across one of his open wounds to leave a long line of saliva in its wake. Jaune gasped at the feeling of the organ running across his chest, a part of his mind reacting to the touch in the entirely wrong and inappropriate way. Blake pulled back, eyes as blood-red as his injuries staring down at him.

"So tasty..." the girl whispered. Blake's tongue slid across her front teeth in order to scrape the blood off of it. In order to savor the taste of his life fluid.

"Just do it," Jaune whispered in turn. "Make it quick. Please."

Blake shushed him, and as she came in again slid her tentacles around his torso. She brought herself close to his body, crawling between his sprawled out legs until their bodies met. Her head came to rest on his chest.

"I can't let you die," she hissed. "I won't let you die. You're far too precious to me, my... darling."

The girl began to giggle, the vibrations of her shaking body rattling against his chest. As if he didn't have enough of that already with his heart pounding inside his ribcage.

To Jaune's surprise she made no further attempts to lick him. Or made any moves to eat him at all. Blake seemed content to lay there with him, holding him and cradling his body against hers.

Yet there was something about this situation that amused her. Considering he had nothing left to lose, there was no harm in asking. "What's so funny?"

Her soft giggles slowed as she swirled a tentacle around his neck, letting the tip come to rest upon his chin. After a moment, the laughter stopped completely.

"Blake?"

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," she stated coyly. "Naughty boy. But it's fine. I'm nothing if not forgiving to the ones I love. And you I love more than anyone else in the world..."

If this had come from any other person, or even any other hybrid, Jaune might have been inclined to believe them. Ruby and Weiss had both shown their own unique brands of affection toward him. Even Yang had displayed a purely physical attraction to him that made him think she would want to have sex with him if only for the fun of it. But Blake? Blake was an enigma. Her twisted perception of love could mean anything. For all he knew, sex with Blake ended with her devouring the head of her mate like a praying mantis would.

He would never take her words at face value. Even her confession of loving him.

"What are you doing?" he asked the black head of hair which he stared down at. One of her cat ears twitched from the sound, or perhaps the feel of his breath on it as he spoke.

The question prompted Blake to lift her head away from his chest, and an all too familiar cheshire grin stared back at him. "I told you," she purred. "I won't let you die."

The pessimistic portion of Jaune's mind wanted to ask her if it was so she could kill him herself. At her own pace. At the time and place of her choosing. However, if she was indeed going to try her best at helping him survive, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or a gift... Grimm hybrid in the mouth.

He had already gazed into the abyss of her terrifying mouth far too many times as it was...

Blake's tongue darted out again, licking another of the wounds on his torso. Again and again she did this, finding each of the injuries that had been inflicted upon him by Cardin. It dawned on him what she was doing. Like a dog who had just been injured in a fight, Blake was licking his wounds clean. She was doing what was in her nature to try and heal him. Jaune's heart raced as he watched her, doing her very best to live up to what she had told him. She wanted him to survive. For what reason he could not say, but her actions certainly spoke as loud, if not louder than her words.

Crimson eyes looked over him, drinking in the sight of his bare chest. Jaune wasn't sure if she was inspecting his wounds or checking him out. Or maybe both. However, Blake soon deemed her work done, and gave a small nod of satisfaction before her gaze returned to his face.

"Your Aura was broken. It will return."

The words sent a chill down Jaune's spine. He had never experienced a broken Aura before, and for the first time ever he was happy to hear something come out of Blake's mouth. She was the only other student here with an Aura. She had possessed it before she had been turned into a hybrid. If anyone knew the mechanics of how it worked, it would be her.

"You just have to survive until then..." she continued. "And that's why I'm here."

Jaune frowned. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for her attempting to help him in her own way, but he wasn't sure that licking his wounds counted as ensuring his survival.

"I'm not sure even you can save me..." he said softly.

"I thought you were supposed to save me?"

He had wanted to. That was before he was certain that he was going to die here. Before his body and spirit had been broken.

The girl giggled again, and her tentacles moved up to his shoulders to press him back against the wall. She brought her face close to his ear, as if to let him in on a secret just between the two of them. "Your injuries are fine," she breathed into his ear. "But we are not alone."

Jaune's eyes widened, and for a moment wondered if Ruby was still hanging around. He looked around the mane of black hair that was obstructing his vision, but saw no telltale sign of the girl's red cloak.

Blake pulled back, her soft hissing laughter slipping through her lips. "He's hiding, but I smell him," she whispered. Her cat ears twitched once more, pulling Jaune's attention up to them. "I hear his grunting breaths. A ninja he is not."

He. Jaune had no idea who Blake was speaking of. His first thought was Tyrian. All three of them had clashed earlier today, but their combat professor had proven to be more than a match for both of them together. If anyone would have been interested in Jaune's current condition, it was that psychopath. It would just be another excuse to throw him out into the wild in order to be killed off once and for all.

Before he could think of more possibilities, the tip of Blake's tendril slithered up to his forehead. The sharp barb came down and grazed against the skin of his eyelids with as tender and gentle a touch as he had ever felt, and slowly lowered one after the other. Jaune complied, not wanting to risk getting his eye gouged out by the hybrid.

"Rest, for a moment," she whispered. "You will be fine soon. But until then... you are mine."

For the first time since her arrival, Jaune allowed himself to relax. Before today he never would have expected to find comfort in Blake's ar- tentacles... but here he was. His Aura would return soon, but not yet. Right now she was his only source of protection in this cruel and unforgiving environment. In this world of bloody evolution.

* * *

The first thought that entered Jaune's mind upon waking was amazement. Amazement that he was still alive. That he had not been murdered in his sleep. Then again, maybe he wasn't giving Ruby enough credit. Or maybe what Blake had told him the day before had indeed come to pass.

In any case, he had lived to see the next day. His secret had been exposed, and as far as he knew, Ruby had not told anyone about it. She had not acted on the information. A part of him dared to hold out hope that it had been done out of their friendship. If it even still existed anymore. He honestly didn't know. He wouldn't know until he saw her. Spoke to her.

He dreaded the thought of such a confrontation.

Jaune sat up in bed, the walls around him familiar to an extent. He had not been brave enough to return to his room the previous night, knowing who inhabited it. If such a confrontation were to have gone down there with Weiss present, he wasn't sure how the white-haired hybrid would have reacted. So with that in mind he had decided to take up residence in her old unoccupied room. A room where only a few days earlier he had tended to her wounds. Where he had told her to trust him. It was such a pity that he could not do the same. He asked for trust, but gave none himself. He felt like a hypocrite for that. He felt like a scumbag. But sometimes that was the only way to stay alive.

That... and a little help from others.

As his feet hit the floor, he thought about the past day. A day where he had been nearly beaten to a bloody pulp by Cardin. A day where for the first time since arriving at this school, his Aura had been broken. It had been a terrifying, chilly, and entirely unfamiliar feeling. At the time he had no idea if it was going to come back. Until help from a most unexpected source had arrived.

Blake had left soon after that. As soon as he had rediscovered the fire within him. Jaune had called upon his Aura, and even in its weakened state, he had begun to mend his body. Cuts and gouges sealed themselves up. Fractured bones fused inside of him. Internal bleeding had ceased. While he still felt weak, while his body and mind were still both weary, he had been able to recover. Flaring his Semblance proved beneficial, but taxing.

He could only do it for moments at a time, his Aura straining to the point of breaking in its fragile state. It felt nice though, exhilarating. Maybe it always had, he just never noticed due to being in better physical health? Doing it periodically eased bones and skin back together, but left his head swimming. Which he couldn't have happen too often, for other reasons. Blake reasons.

The person who Blake said had been watching, there was no sign. Perhaps it had all been her imagination. Blake's sanity and perception of reality were suspect in Jaune's mind. Maybe she had invented the stalker just for an excuse to be alone with him like that.

As if the stalker needed the excuse of another stalker to stalk her victim...

In any case he was grateful for what she had done. Whatever her motives were, Blake had been there for him in his time of need. Now after a good night's sleep, he was nearly fully recovered. If anyone sought to try and take advantage of his current weakness, they would be in for a rude awakening.

His stomach had been in for a rude awakening too. Burning his Aura and using his Semblance so much took its toll on his body. He was famished, and nothing would help him recover quite like food. Jaune set out from Weiss' old room with only one destination in mind. The kitchen. His eyes were glued to the door of his true room the entire way, hoping against hope that Ruby would not emerge from it. He wasn't sure what he would say to her if she did.

Thankfully she did not come out. It was still fairly early in the morning. Early enough for her not to wake on her own, usually needing prodding from himself in order to get ready for classes. After falling asleep early last night, it was no wonder that Jaune had awoken on his own at this hour.

As he continued he began to wonder what exactly the future held for him. Ruby knew. If she spilled the beans, would he have anyone left on his side who would aid him? Would Tyrian? Or Hazel? Or Salem herself? Or would they all let the chips fall where they may, and let nature run its course?

Would Weiss defend him? Or even Blake? Blake had said she wanted him to stay alive. Would knowing that he was human change that?

In any case, if he didn't get some food in his belly those questions would be a moot point. He needed food to live, and he couldn't live to see himself die at the hands of a hybrid unless he ate first. And if there was one thing he wanted, now that both his mind and body had recovered, it was to survive. Both for his sake and theirs. However, he still knew his chances were slim. He knew he should still treat this day like it could be his last.

Upon reaching the kitchen he began to plan out his meal. It wouldn't be fancy. It wouldn't be gourmet. It would simply be food. Something warm to fill his stomach. Something to give him strength and energy. Eggs, bacon and toast were simple enough. Dump two of the three in the frying pan and let the flames do their work. While they did he would shove the bread in the toaster and give himself something quick to snack on while the others cooked. The perfect plan.

"There you are!"

Of course all perfect plans shattered once they made contact with the enemy.

Jaune turned to see Weiss standing in the doorway. The question was, was Weiss his enemy?

The tiny hybrid stomped into the kitchen, anger etched onto her normally beautiful face. If her accusation was anything to go by, she had been searching for him. But did she know? The idea sent a shiver down his spine, and her glowing red eyes narrowed on him as she approached.

Jaune's hand fell slowly to his side, where the handle of Crocea Mors laid against his hip.

"And where exactly were you last night?" she asked accusingly.

Fingers froze before they made contact with the blue-leather bound hilt.

The way Weiss spoke to him made it sound like she was his wife, and that he had been out all night on a bender with the guys. It was an odd sensation to feel as she strutted over to him, hands resting on her hips and head tilted up to peer into his eyes expectantly.

"I..." he started, but came up with nothing. He couldn't very well tell her the truth of what had happened. If he did, he was certain that only one of them would leave this kitchen alive.

A sharp poke from her horn earned a pained gasp. "I know exactly what happened last night."

Fear once more coursed through his body. Jaune rubbed his sternum, the area extra sensitive today while he still recovered from his injuries.

"You do?"

Weiss took a step forward to close the gap between them. Despite the fact that her head only came up to his shoulders, her horn made up for that difference and threatened his face. All it would take was one swift motion to take out one of his eyes.

"After all that talk about trust, and you have the audacity to not come back to our room? I had to sleep alone with Ruby!"

So that's what she was mad about? A wave of relief surged over Jaune. Unless...

"Oh. Did she, um, say anything?"

Weiss scoffed. "Nothing anymore inane than usual. She simply went up to her bed and fell asleep."

Jaune frowned. So Ruby had gone up to her old sleeping spot on the top bunk? He supposed it made sense. Without Jaune being there it wasn't likely that the two hybrids would share a bed. He acted as a buffer between the two both in and out of the sheets.

Another poke made him wince. "And now I find you down here making breakfast without me? How dare you treat your master in such a manner!"

The realization dawned on him. That's right. Making breakfast together was their routine. He had gotten so caught up in everything from the previous day that the idea of it completely slipped his mind. He had far bigger issues on his mind right now than his daily alone time with Weiss.

She poked him again. "Are you ignoring me?"

He wasn't in the mood for this. Routine or not, he was not prepared to deal with a demanding Weiss this morning. And all her pointy assaults. "Just drop it, Weiss."

Those were apparently the wrong words, as Weiss did not drop it. If anything she only got angrier. Another peck. "I will drop nothing!"

The smell of cooked eggs and bacon demanded his attention, lest it burn in the pan. And despite Weiss' presence in the kitchen, he was determined not to let a good meal go to waste.

Jaune grabbed hold of the frying pan's handle and the spatula he was working with and began to tend to the food. As he did, the long horn of the hybrid found his hand, nudging it up in an attempt to dislodge it from his cooking utensils.

The pan tilted with her horn. With rather predictable result, the eggs splattering all over him, and not her. Frustration boiled over as his head whipped around to see a seething hybrid.

"Weiss!" he spat angrily. "What are you doing!"

"You weren't paying the proper attention I am due," she said haughtily, as if that justified the mess she made, and backed up for Jaune to clean it up.

"I'm not in the mood today," he growled. "Just leave me alone."

The fact that Weiss was still ignorant of his true nature did nothing to relieve him. It was only a matter of time. Ruby knew. She would probably tell Yang, if she hadn't already. And then Yang would grasp him in that massive Grimm hand of hers and slam him into the ground until he was nothing more than a bloody, meaty pulp.

So what was he even doing? Why was he even making food? What did it matter? He was a dead man walking. This was a nightmare. A living nightmare. His luck had finally run out, and he was living on borrowed time.

"Are you going to make more?" she asked. One of her fingers was pointed down to the floor where the spilled eggs lay. "What you have in the pan is hardly enough for the both of us."

An incredulous laugh slipped through his lips. "Are you kidding me? You made that mess, Weiss."

"Perhaps you will remember to mind your manners when I am present."

He wasn't paying attention to her, a costly mistake. Harder than before, she struck his freshly injured arm with her horn. Jaune cried out, feeling his Aura strain as the still healing skin tore. Blood bubbling up, he turned on her in a fury. Weiss for her part looked momentarily taken aback, before crossing her arms.

"Damn it, Weiss!" He held the bleeding arm up. "Look what you did!"

"Are you shouting down at me, servant?" Weiss huffed, an expression Jaune hadn't seen before crossing her features. "Know your place and make my food."

"You are not stabbing me again, Weiss." Without thinking, he put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back.

A blush darkened her complexion, cheeks turning gray. Jaune figured that it was in outrage over him daring to touch her but he couldn't care less. His food was burning.

Jaune quickly looked to the pan, where a few precious strips of bacon still remained. They were finished, and he turned the stove flame off. Grabbing a still hot piece from the pan, he tore it in half with his teeth. "Make your own damn breakfast."

He turned to walk away, but was stopped when Weiss grabbed hold of his free hand. She spun him around, and the sight of angry red eyes stared up at him.

She lunged up, intent on stabbing him once more with her horn, but Jaune was ready for it this time. Flaring his Semblance, he made himself faster and stronger. His hand intercepted the incoming attack, fingers curling around the hard keratin of her horn. Weiss' eyes widened in shock, but it was nothing compared to the reaction when he shoved her forward. Assisting his firm grip on her horn, he put a heavy hand on the center of her chest and slammed her up against the nearby wall. The nearby shelves shuddered from the impact.

"Enough!" he shouted. "No more of that!"

Weiss began to struggle under his grip, but the advantage he had over her head by having control of her horn made such efforts difficult. The weight of his body against hers did nothing to alleviate the pressure.

"Unhand me, you vile cur!" she snarled through gritted teeth. "I did not say you could touch me!"

"No. Not until you tell me you're going to stop attacking me."

She was breathing heavily, a blush of gray darker than ever on her cheeks from her struggling. Struggling that all but ceased now. Glowing crimson eyes peered up at him, unflinching as they stared into his own.

A twinge of guilt slowly built up inside of Jaune. Frustrated or not, he shouldn't have done that to Weiss. Dropping his Semblance, the same craven desire hit him full blast. Something, anything to keep it going. Shaking his head Jaune got a grip on himself.

He released his hold on her head and took a step back. With a little bit of breathing room between the two, he lowered his head in shame. "Weiss, I shouldn't have-"

Jaune never got a chance to apologize before Weiss pounced. Leaping at him, her hands grabbed him by the cheeks, pulling his head down to her level before smashing her lips into his. Taken by complete surprise, Jaune had no idea what had happened until it was already in progress. Weiss assaulted his mouth with hers, her lips and tongue hungry to take every last bit of flesh into them. Invading past his teeth like an army which had just breached the gates of a fortress.

His legs attempted to move back and away from the hybrid, but her hold on his face was absolute. Where Jaune went Weiss did as well, and for long seconds he could do nothing but endure the hard, lustful kisses from the girl.

Eventually she broke from him, likely only because she needed oxygen. Her breaths came out in ragged gasps as she desperately drank in air. A look at her breathless face showed it was even darker than before. Red eyes danced with mischief, and an eager smile played on her lips.

"W-what was that?" Jaune stuttered, his body and mind still in shock from what had just occurred. "Since when did you learn to do... that?"

"I have studied the documentary we watched together to ensure I had a proper grasp on the art of kissing," she explained. "I will ensure that I never make that mistake again."

He moved to take a step away from her, but was stopped when Weiss grabbed hold of his hoodie, pulling him toward her while she backed up. She pulled him so close that his body was once more pressing her against the wall.

"No. Keep me against the wall. I want to feel your weight pressed against me."

He nodded absentmindedly, still struggling to understand what was going on. His mind went blank as she reached up and kissed him again, but was broken from his stupor when this time Weiss bit down on his lower lip. She pulled back again, only releasing her teeth's hold on it at the very last moment.

"I thought you weren't going to make that mistake again?"

She grinned. Lustfully, if Jaune had to make a guess. "Not unintentionally, at least." Her breaths continued to pour from her lips. "Now... take me as your mate, Jaune. Dominate me as no male ever has before."

Jaune's eyes widened. Did Weiss... have some sort of domination kink? This only happened after he had slammed her against the wall, after he had shouted her down...

For a third time Weiss brought her head up to kiss him. Only this time the rest of her came with, and Weiss used the wall to shove herself up, wrapping her legs around his waist. His arms moved without thinking, and came around her hips so that there was no risk of her falling. And by the gods, did she had a wonderful backside. Human or Grimm form, Weiss was an amazingly beautiful girl.

After spending weeks sharing a bed with two beautiful girls, after having held them in his arms every night, Jaune snapped.

All the stress, all the frustration, all the fear, had finally reached its boiling point. If his secret was going to be exposed, if he was going to die, he might as well get to enjoy something before he went. He might as well enjoy one moment of carnal pleasure before he was killed. This could very well be his last day on Remnant. He should go out with a bang.

Stepping back away from the wall, pulling his head away, Jaune smiled down at Weiss. "I thought you were the master and I was the servant?"

"I am the master. Do as you're told," she whispered when the kiss broke. Emboldened and filled with lustful passion, Jaune squeezed down on Weiss' flesh. She gasped from the touch, and sharp fingernails dug into his hair. "Make me yours."

For someone who had a domination fetish, Weiss was quite demanding. But then again, what else was new?

The wall shuddered a second, but not last time.

* * *

Ruby's mind was wandering as she sat in Doctor Watts' class. Not an unusual occurrence, however today's lack of focus had nothing to do with his boring curriculum.

Jaune was missing. That was entirely expected. After what she had learned, after hearing the truth about his nature, it made sense to her that he would not be here. He was afraid, and rightfully so.

The question now was, what would she do with that information? Could she, would she, betray him? Would she do what she was meant to do, and kill the boy?

She shook her head as she sat in her seat. No! How could she? After everything they had been through. After all they had shared. After all the times they had been there for one another in their times of need, how could she even consider it?

Jaune had been her first friend. For a time, her only friend. And he hadn't even been a hybrid! This whole time, a no-good, stinking human had been her friend. The friend of a Grimm hybrid. How was that even possible? How was a human like Jaune able to look at her in her Grimm form and not be utterly repulsed? How was he able to share a room, much less a bed with her every night, and fall asleep? How was a human able to wrap his arms around her and kiss a monster like her...

Ruby's face grew warmer with the memories of the times they had shared together. All of the positive times. All the shows of affection. All of the friendship. The love.

It made sense to her now why Jaune was able to tolerate her presence. Why he was so good at being positive himself. Why he was able to act so human. Because he was one. And despite that, he had still managed to befriend her. After witnessing all kinds of things that a human must have found horrible and terrifying, he had still been there for her.

Did she not owe him the same then? Did their bonds of friendship cease to be because he was human? He had been human all along, and he had still managed to find a place in his heart for her.

Yes. She absolutely owed him the same. She had made a terrible mistake, and it was one that she must rectify.

Another glance around showed that Jaune was not the only one missing from the room. The fact that her friend was gone was indeed expected. However, Weiss being gone was highly unexpected. She was never one to miss class. She followed the rules to the letter, and chastised those who did not. The fact that she was missing was highly suspect.

Then there was Cardin. Him not being here was concerning. He was far from a model student, and the only class he was ever interested in was combat with Professor Callows. Still, him being gone today of all days was suspicious as well. Three students being missing the day after she learned Jaune's secret could not be a coincidence.

A sudden sense of urgency filled Ruby's mind. Standing up from her seat, she rushed toward the door of the classroom. She had to find Jaune.

"Ruby, where are you-"

She didn't even turn back to acknowledge Doctor Watts before she pushed through the doors, and ran as quickly as her legs would carry her.

* * *

Jaune proved difficult to track. Despite being injured, the human could move. Or his sycophant moved him. Didn't matter. Cardin would find the bastard. He had feasted, the worst of his injuries rejuvenated, even if they had to be patched together with new iron bindings. Wesson had inquired about his fresh injury, but he brushed him off. None of that mattered.

He refused to tell them what Jaune was. That insult could never be learned. It was another reason the freak must die after Jaune. No one could ever find out that a human, a mere human, had bested him. Cardin would not allow it. No this bastard would die screaming before that truth made itself known.

He found his prey's scent in the kitchen, but again was the weakling surrounded by his group. This time was a truly disgusting display as he rutted the White Witch like they were animals in heat. Cardin reviled the mere thought of the act, that such a lowly creature would dare to sully so perfect a hybrid. Her boney, thin frame did her no favors, of course, but to Cardin it was the sheer gall of the human to think he was worthy of such an honor. Her physical shortcomings were secondary to the crime that was Jaune doing this at all.

Cardin understood perfectly well that Weiss was most likely under the delusion that this creature was like them, a higher being. Further, he held no illusions that she could kill him if he took her so called mate from her, in front of her no less. Yes, she would be understanding once he explained what the horrific truth was, but Cardin knew he would not likely survive that long. Briefly he considered telling the Blonde Bitch about what was embracing her so beloved sister night after night, but he thought better of it.

Let her rot for all Cardin cared. His own pride was more important. After their copulation, he watched and waited. They were resting when one of the teacher's, Professor Fall, came into the room and made a remark. He was too far to hear, not that he ever listened to the uppity sow to begin with. She left, and not long after they awoke and parted ways. He didn't know where Weiss was going, and he didn't care. All that mattered was that Jaune was alone now. This was the opportunity he had waited for.

Finally.

Jaune favored his left side still, as he should. The human, so frail and weak, did not yet recover fully. Perhaps this was a last ditch attempt to knock up their superior women with his inferior seed? He snorted. As if that would be allowed.

Gripping his weapon, Cardin stalked Jaune. Soon, he came to the courtyard. The hybrid smiled, pleased. Open, alone, no one around. No one to hear the screams, until it was too late.

With a bellow, Cardin tore the doors away. Jaune was without what remained of his armor, without his weapons. His body was still ravaged and his Aura was no doubt still weak. Cardin's grin turned into a snarl as he smashed into Jaune, sending the blond flying into a pillar. Again and again he battered the defenseless boy, stomping and punching as Jaune struggled to fend off half of the blows that rained down on him.

"Before, human, I only would have struck you down to prove who was superior," Cardin approached slowly, Jaune staring up at him with terror. A terror only humans could possess. "Now!" he barked, raising his savage maul up high. "Now I put an end to a traitor and liar! Scream, human! Let me hear your lungs rupture!"

Jaune brought his arms up, crying out in pain as he took the brunt of the blow. Cardin smiled wickedly as his Aura flashed, on the verge of breaking.

"That's it! More, human! I'm going to take my time to enjoy this. Every bone, every inch of skin, not a single piece of you will be left untouched when I'm-!"

He felt a curious pressure at his waist.

Blinking, he looked down to see a blade settled around him. It looked like it belonged to a scythe. What would that-

Were the last thoughts of Cardin, before the scythe tore him in half.

* * *

Ruby found Jaune in the courtyard, Cardin attacking him. Mauling him. She froze when she heard the larger hybrid, the true hybrid, speak.

"Human."

He knew. Cardin knew. No one else did, but Cardin. Time slowed around her, even as Cardin tried to break Jaune's arms.

What did Jaune mean to her? What had he ever meant to her? Why should she care?

Everything. He meant everything. He was everything to her. He loved her for herself. Not for who she could be, not for what she should be. He cared for her as a person. Unlike any other hybrid, there was no reason for it. Just simple kindness. Just a simple, kind boy who found himself stuck in a world of horrors and monsters.

Her eyes flaring with a fury she had never known, Ruby refused this. She refused to allow this sweet, kind, loving boy to die, just because he wasn't what others thought he should be. After all, was _she_ what others thought she should be? Any and all fear of Cardin fled as she raced forward, summoning her scythe in hand.

Sinking the blade into his flesh was extremely easy. Tearing through still healing bones and his spine was easier still. Blood sprayed like a fountain. The sound of tearing meat was reminiscent of how she used to feed in the cafeteria. His top half fell backwards as his bottom half fell forward, Cardin staring up at her in confusion and wonder.

Her vision was red with rage. How had she ever been scared of this small, insignificant creature? Snarling, Ruby sliced him four more times before he hit the ground. How dare he seek to harm Jaune! How dare he seek to take her friend away!

Ruby's scythe danced with a lethal grace that most hybrids could never have imagined with their simple, brutish minds. Legs split apart, left falling to the right and right falling to the left. His head was sent up into the air as his torso fell in half, arms bisected as a consequence themselves. With one final slash, Ruby turned away from the shower of gore that followed his head being obliterated in mid air.

She breathed heavily, looking down to admire her handiwork. Cardin would threaten Jaune no more. His secret would be safe. No one would harm her first and best friend.

Grinning a bright, wide smile, she launched herself at Jaune, weapon forgotten. He yelped in pain as she made impact.

"I'm so sorry!"

Jaune was very still as she hugged him tight.

"I will never, ever let anyone hurt you, ever again."

She nuzzled her horns against his chest, methodically up and down. He was slow to react. Hesitant. She could hardly blame him, either. Their true selves had been exposed to one another.

"Ruby..." he said carefully. "Why..."

"No matter what, you're the most important thing in the world to me!" she shouted into his chest.

Her arms clung around him, but his did not do the same. Not for the first time since meeting him, she longed for his touch. For his embrace. For his affection. She wanted nothing more than for Jaune to hug her too.

A familiar scent lingered strongly on him, but Ruby was not about to question it. Right now was about the two of them, and only them. No one else mattered in this moment.

"I don't understand," he admitted.

"You're a human," she whispered into his hoodie. "And you can still like a monster like me?" She paused for a moment, letting the words hang in the air as they went unanswered. "Thank you..."

The strange liquid that sometimes built up in her eyes began to leak out. Thankfully Jaune's shirt was excellent at absorbing the stuff.

"You saved me," he said. Ruby lifted her head away from him, and stared into terrified blue eyes. "Why?"

Unfamiliar feelings continued to build in Ruby's heart. She knew why she had done it. At the same time, there was something else inside of her which had made her act. An instinct deep down that told her to do one thing. One that did not mesh whatsoever with her Grimm nature.

Protect life. Protect Jaune's life.

Ruby smiled as she gazed into his eyes. "Because you're my friend," she said happily, all the while the liquid was leaking from her eyes. She sniffed. "You're my friend despite what I am and what you are. What kind of friend would I be if I turned on you?"

The fear in Jaune's eyes seemed to lessen. "You mean... you don't care that I'm a human?"

She shook her head. "Nope. You didn't care that I was a hybrid. So why should I care that you're a human?"

The truth is, by her very nature she _did_ care that he was human. Her instincts made her attracted to negative emotions. Her instincts told her to attack humans. At the time when this revelation came out, Ruby had been conflicted. Emotional. Unable to control her urges. As a result she had fled, not wanting to lose control. To risk killing the boy before her.

Now, however, she knew what was at risk. _He_ was at risk. As a result, Ruby would squash her natural desires. She would hold back with everything she had. Aside from the trauma of nearly losing Jaune, she was calm and collected. She would not let her instincts dictate her relationship with him. After all, she was one day expected to infiltrate the kingdoms of man. What kind of a hybrid agent would she be if she couldn't control herself around humans?

"You really mean that, don't you?"

Ruby nodded emphatically. "You're my bestie," she confirmed. "Just because you're a squishy human doesn't change that."

To her surprise, Jaune laughed. That was good. It was positive. He was more comfortable around her already. The fear she sensed from him was eroding.

"You really are a freak, you know that?"

The hybrid pouted, recognizing his jovial tone as joking, but felt offended all the same. "Am not!" she shouted, jabbing a finger into his chest. "Take it back!"

"A Grimm hybrid making friends with a human. I think we're both freaks."

Both freaks. It was one thing if Ruby was the lone freak in the school. She had long carried that burden.

However, if she and Jaune were freaks together... well, she would be just fine with that. As long as they were together.

She rubbed her horns up and down against him again. Yes. They would be freaks... together.

"I can live with that," she happily agreed.

Ruby saw Jaune look past her, and her head turned to follow his gaze. The bloody and dismembered body of Cardin lay close by. She wasn't sure if the presence of the corpse made this moment more or less romantic. Going by human standards, probably the latter.

"So... you killed him," Jaune said referring to Cardin. "Are you going to get in trouble?"

She laughed off the question. "We're vicious killing machines," she reminded him. "I'd get in trouble if I _didn't_ kill another student every now and then. Survival of the fittest and all that. It's in the student handbook."

"There's a handbook?"

"Maybe. I don't know. But all I know is that no one's gonna lose any sleep over Cardin being dead."

The blond nodded. Ruby wasn't sure how much he truly understood. Knowing his true nature now made her look at him from an entirely different perspective.

"But," she continued. "I didn't kill him."

Jaune squinted with confusion. "You didn't?"

"Nope. _You_ killed him, buddy."

"But..."

"You killed him," she repeated. " Because you're the meanest, toughest hybrid around. If we want to keep your secret going, we'll just have to keep lying. Like you said."

The more Ruby thought about it, the more it made sense. Teachers like Tyrian had obviously lied on Jaune's behalf. Salem undoubtedly knew his true nature, and had spared his life all the same. For what purpose, Ruby could not say. It was not her place to question her mother. But if Salem wanted him alive, if the teachers looked past Jaune's humanity, then she would protect and defend him to her last breath. It wouldn't be for them, however.

It would be for herself.

"Okay, sure," he agreed uneasily. "Did I have a reason for killing him?"

Ruby shrugged. "I dunno. Just say... he was mad about your match yesterday and attacked you. So you finished the job once and for all."

It was believable. A story anyone would buy at face value. Ruby was proud of herself for coming up with such an awesome story on the fly.

"Yeah, that works. But for now, um... could you maybe get off me? We should probably get going before someone finds the... three of us out here like this..."

As much as she didn't want to part from Jaune, he had a point. Being found outside embracing the boy could raise some questions.

Ruby got off of Jaune and helped him to his feet. She wondered if the two of them should just skip the rest of classes today. Jaune already had. Weiss had. Cardin had, until his untimely death.

Maybe they should just go back to their room. They had to make up for lost time, after all. For a lost night of cuddling that she had sorely missed. She didn't know where Weiss was, but right now she wanted to spend a little alone time with her human best friend.

* * *

Salem watched the display outside through her Seer's orb. She would have the Beowolves recover what remains were left of Cardin in time. Poor boy, he always did think too far above his station. Jaune had survived, forged deeper bonds. Brought three of the girls closer to him than ever.

A small smile graced Salem's timeless face.

Good.

"May then your soul prevail, free to roam again." Salem turned away, leaving the two to their quiet comfort. "Very well done, Mr. Arc. I am most pleased."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Despite all the major things that happened this chapter, the Jaune and Blake scene was my favorite to write. Blake is absolutely the breakout character in this story, and she's a scene stealer every time she's included.

And speaking of major things to happen, Weiss and Jaune. Who got hints of her little... kink in the past couple chapters? I have only one word to use to describe her demeanor in this chapter. "Shallchair". A reference that some of you may understand.

I want to thank the usual suspects **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for their contributions as always. But this time I have another friend who helped out in a new way you might appreciate. **Anonymous02** has done me the great honor of writing out the smut scene between Jaune and Weiss. I didn't include it here, since that would definitively bump up this story to an M rating. So go check out his new story, **Grimm Passions**. You'll notice that we both borrowed from each other while writing our respective chapters.

So there's a lot of questions up in the air now. What happens with Jaune and Weiss? What about Jaune and Ruby? What's Salem so happy about? Who's taking who to the dance! Who even remembered there is a dance, since I only mentioned it in passing months ago! All of these questions and more will be answered in time.

And of course, I want to thank all of you for your continued support and inspiration. Without you it would be difficult to keep doing this on a weekly basis. So thank you all for showing your appreciation.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

Shock and awe. That was the only way Emerald could describe the place.

She had seen the dark spire through the window of the Bullhead as they approached. The black tower jutted into the sky, piercing the ominous clouds overhead so that the very tip of the building could not be seen. Who knew how far it rose into the air? Who knew what kinds of twisted architecture allowed such a structure to exist? Emerald thought she had seen the extent of madness before she ever disembarked from the air ship.

How wrong she had been.

But it would be okay. Cinder was here. The very thought of her mentor warmed the young woman's heart. Cinder, the woman who had taken her off the streets and given her purpose in life, was here. After months of separation she would finally see her rescuer again. Once she did it wouldn't matter what kind of environment this was. It wouldn't matter what kind of people she served. So long as she had Cinder by her side, Emerald knew she would be okay.

The large man who had picked them up and flown them here, Hazel, walked in front of them as they made their way down the halls. On the inside the place looked fairly normal. If it wasn't for the strange purple sky that filtered through the windows, it would have seemed like a normal academy. Not quite like Haven, but similar enough. There were dorm rooms. Classrooms. Common rooms. Even a cafeteria. However, it was odd that she hadn't seen any students yet. Maybe they had already departed for the upcoming Vytal Festival?

A glance over at Mercury showed his usual stone-faced demeanor. If he was affected by this place at all, he wasn't showing it. That meant that she couldn't show it either. Emerald was not about to let herself get shown up by that arrogant, infuriating boy.

The lack of students made her wonder just what Cinder had called upon her and Mercury to do. If it wasn't something that involved her peers, certainly it could have waited until they all arrived at Beacon, right? Not that she was complaining about having an opportunity to see Cinder again, but making a special trip to who knew where seemed a little bit pointless.

She decided to break the silence that had settled over them. Even at the risk of Mercury opening his big mouth.

"Hazel?" she asked the man who walked before them.

The massive man twisted around so that he could see her as he walked. "Yes?"

"Do you have any idea why Cinder asked us to come?"

A low grunt rumbled in his throat. "No."

Emerald frowned and nodded. Hazel obviously deemed their conversation to be over, and he turned back around as they continued on their way. He was obviously a man of few words. Mercury could learn a thing or two from him.

"Why are you complaining?" said silver-haired boy asked obnoxiously. "I thought you'd be jumping for joy at the opportunity to see Cinder again."

She was. Internally. Though she would never admit to such a thing. Especially not to Mercury.

"Shut up," she snapped. "I obviously wasn't complaining. I was just wondering, since we were called here for a reason."

A small smirk curled on the lips of the assassin. The very punchable lips of her companion. Emerald wasn't sure what the boy's Semblance was, but it would not surprise her if it was the ability to be annoying and get under people's skin. Specifically hers.

"Yeah, well, anything's better than having to pretend to be students at Haven," he continued. "I swear, if I had to wear that stupid black uniform another day I think I would have 'accidentally' broken someone's nose in sparring class."

Emerald snorted dismissively. "It figures you would have such an immature view on dressing classy for the first time in your life."

A dark eyebrow raised. "Oh? That's rich coming from the girl who wears... whatever sorry excuse for a shirt that sports bra is supposed to be."

Red eyes narrowed on the boy at her side, and a hand instinctively reached down for one of her holstered pistols. Before she could even think of drawing it, however, a deep voice cut through the air.

"Children," came the intimidating tone of Hazel. He had once more turned back to look at them. "Shut up."

Again, Emerald's first instinct was to turn to violence. Who did this guy think he was? Did he not know that she was Cinder's favored student?

In the end clearer heads prevailed, and Emerald rationally knew that Hazel was not one to be trifled with. He was clearly above her station, perhaps even near Cinder's own. It would simply not do to pick a fight with such an imposing figure.

Sadly that logic did not apply to both of Cinder's students.

"Oh yeah? You gonna make us, old..."

Emerald's focus had been turned to Mercury once his outburst began. So when she saw the words die on his lips and his gray eyes widen, it took her by complete surprise. She turned to see just what he was looking at.

Her own eyes followed suit.

There, standing in the path of the trio, was what appeared to be a young woman. A young woman with skin as white as snow with hair to match. Twisting black veins made their way up and down her arms and legs, while blood-red eyes glowed like a lighthouse guiding their ships to a rocky shore. But it was the single horn which jutted out of her forehead which made Emerald swallow in trepidation.

Her heart skipped a beat when those crimson eyes suddenly focused entirely on her. Just what kind of monster was this?

"Calm yourself," Hazel said unprovoked. "They can sense your fear."

They? Had Hazel just insinuated there were more of these... things? Emerald's head quickly looked all around, scanning for more of these creatures which may have been lurking in the shadows. Thankfully there were none present... at least that she could see.

"The fuck is that thing?" Mercury whispered, giving voice to her own thoughts.

There may have been a time when Emerald would have mocked the boy for his uneasiness. However, in this moment she could not bring herself to fault the boy for his nervousness. She had the very same feelings herself.

She... it appeared to be human, but at the same time it looked like a creature of Grimm. She would apparently find out soon enough, as it seemed that the thing was standing there waiting for the trio to approach. Emerald's hands once more fell to her hips, ready to grab her weapons at a moment's notice.

Emerald jumped with shock as she felt a hand clasp around her wrist. Turning, she saw Mercury peering down at her. He shook his head softly, sending a loud and clear message to her. She reluctantly agreed, and put an abrupt end to thoughts of reaching for her pistols.

"Weiss," Hazel said as the group finally reached the creature. "Can I help you with something?"

It's name was Weiss. Emerald couldn't help but stare at her now that they were up close. She really was a living and breathing creature. Smooth, porcelain skin clashed harshly with the black dress she wore. As did the glowing red eyes set in the pale flesh of her face. Just what kind of beast was this? What kind of horrible things might she want from Hazel?

To Emerald's utter surprise, the thing named Weiss curtsied. Her knees bent and her head dipped low as she stood before the trio of humans. "Greetings, my name is Weiss. It is truly an honor to meet the disciples of Professor Fall."

Professor Fall? Was that was Cinder was doing in this place? Posing as a teacher? But why? They would all soon be posing as students soon enough at Beacon. What could she possibly hope to achieve by acting like a teacher here?

A brief silence fell over the group before Hazel spoke. "This is Emerald and Mercury," he said, introducing the pair of shocked teenagers. The voice shook Emerald from her thoughts, prompting her to speak for herself.

"Y-yes," she said nervously, doing her best to keep her voice under control. "I'm Emerald. It's nice to meet you, Weiss."

More silence. Enough to cause Emerald to jab Mercury in the side with her elbow. The boy winced, but took the hint.

"Mercury," he said simply.

What appeared to be a genuine smile spread across Weiss' face. "How wonderful to have a pair of real life humans to learn from," she said happily. "I look forward to our lessons together. Professor Fall has told me that you have much to teach me about anatomy and biology."

A shiver ran up Emerald's spine. Was that some sort of veiled threat? Was Weiss planning to dissect them in order to learn about the human body?

Wait. Cinder had told her this? What was that woman thinking!

"Yes... that sounds like it will be good... fun."

"I must admit, I have had quite a hands-on education with the human body since Professor Fall set up our lessons." Weiss once more seemed quite pleased with the way she spoke of her previous experiences. Her focus shifted to Mercury. "Though it could not hurt to have further knowledge on what to do with certain parts of the male body..."

Emerald could practically feel how her partner's body tensed up, and she could not blame him. The subtle shift of his feet told her that Mercury was preparing for a combat situation. The boy was as quick as his namesake, and it took only a moment for his weaponized legs lash out like a coiled snake.

"Yeah, sure," he answered with as much false bravado as he could muster.

Weiss' hand clasped together in front of her, a serene smile still on her face. "Well then I won't hold you up any longer. Please enjoy your stay, and give the professor my best."

After another bow of her head Weiss moved past them down the hall. Every movement from her was smooth as silk. She carried herself with a sense of superiority as she walked. Weiss was a monster with a princess' grace. One whom Cinder apparently dealt with on a daily basis, if her mentor was truly a professor here.

The rest of the journey was like a blur to the girl. No more words were spoken between her and Mercury. No snide insults. No pithy remarks. Nothing. He must have been feeling the effects of the meeting with Weiss as much as she was.

It didn't matter anymore, however. They had finally reached Cinder's room. Everything would be better now that she was with them. Cinder would explain everything to them. Cinder would ensure that nothing bad befell them. Cinder would protect her from the monsters in this academy, just as she had saved her from the monsters who roamed the streets of Vale.

A pair of knocks on the door later Hazel departed, his escort mission done. Long seconds passed, and without someone experienced there to shield them from the unknown threats of the academy, Emerald felt vulnerable. Thankfully the door opened, revealing the woman who was there to rescue her once again. A wave of relief washed over the girl.

"Cinder!" Emerald smiled with unrestrained joy.

Her mentor's face betrayed no emotion, and she nodded in greeting. "Come inside."

The dark-skinned girl didn't need to be told twice, and she barged in ahead of Mercury when it appeared that he was going to take the first step inside Cinder's room.

Inside was a relatively simple setup with just the bare essentials for living. Cinder had never been one for material possessions. Money and frivolous trinkets had never been important to the woman for as long as Emerald had known her. It was good to see that this was still the case.

"I have so many questions," Emerald said once the door closed behind them. "What is this place? What was that... thing? Her name was Weiss."

Cinder abruptly put a hand up, halting Emerald before she could make any further comments. "You met Weiss?"

Emerald nodded, nervously wondering if that was a bad thing. If maybe she wasn't allowed to see such a creature. But that wouldn't make sense, considering the thing's comments about Cinder setting up lessons with them.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good, that introduction is out of the way then," Cinder breathed with a sigh of relief. Emerald frowned, wondering what had the woman stressed out about their meeting. Was Weiss truly a girl to be so feared? "You and Mercury have the responsibility of privately tutoring Weiss on a matter of... grave importance."

Red eyes widened. "Tutor? But Cinder, I'm not-"

"And I'm not either!" her mentor snapped. "Infiltration and espionage is one thing, but what that girl is asking of me is something I absolutely refuse to do. And that's where you two come in."

Emerald had no clue what Cinder was talking about. However, it was apparently something that Cinder was unable or unwilling to discuss with Weiss. The question was, if Cinder herself was unqualified to do so, what made herself and Mercury capable?

It was the boy who bit first. "Okay, so what is it you want us to teach her?"

Cinder took a deep breath. She turned away so that neither could see her face. "Sexual education."

Emerald blinked, and a long silence settled over the room. Had she heard right?

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Did you say-"

"Yes, I said sexual education," Cinder interrupted. "Your first lesson is tomorrow after class."

The younger woman was still at a loss for words. Of all the things she was capable of, with all the things she was knowledgeable about, Cinder wanted her to teach sex ed? Never mind the fact that Emerald herself had never even had sex!

"So you want us to give that freak 'the talk'?" Mercury asked. "Sure, why not?"

The green-haired girl whirled around. "How are you okay with this?"

"We show up to this freaky place filled with monsters, and all we gotta do is tell her how babies are made. Seems like a pretty sweet deal compared to what it could have been."

Though she was loathe to admit it, Mercury was right. At the very least she wouldn't be used for a live dissection in order to teach Weiss how the human body operated.

Oh gods, she hoped Weiss wouldn't want a live demonstration. Emerald didn't think she could stomach even the thought of herself and Mercury... doing it.

"Yes, that is all that will be required of you," Cinder confirmed. "Once you're finished you will be free to relax until we are ready to travel to Vale for the festival. Understood?"

Relax. In a place like this. Fat chance of that happening.

Regardless, it was a pretty sweet deal like Mercury had said. Emerald nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. You're dismissed until tomorrow. Hazel has a room for you two set up right next to my own. Go look around and try to get acclimated. It might help to meet as many of the students as you can in order to get used to them."

So there _were_ others like Weiss. That didn't bode well for the girl.

Still, those were Cinder's orders, so she would obey. "Yes, ma'am," she repeated, and turned to leave with Mercury.

As she walked to her new room, Emerald wondered just how many of those creatures there were. She wondered exactly _what_ they were, because they sure weren't human. She dreaded to ask herself the question of what others may look like. Of what they might want. Of how they may look at herself and Mercury.

Though if they were anything like Weiss, hopefully they would be respectful. As a 'disciple of Cinder', perhaps she commanded some sort of respect among them?

Emerald silently hoped that would be the case.

* * *

Things were... normal again. Normal. The thought amused Jaune.

Well, as normal as they could be in a place like this. As normal as they could be in a world where Ruby knew his secret and had accepted him for who he is. As normal as they could be after sleeping with Weiss.

As normal as they could be while all the students in the room whispered and stared at him.

Had this been a normal high school, the rumors and gossiping would have most likely been about his carnal relations with his classmate. Truth be told, Jaune could still hardly believe it himself. He had sex. Only... never in his wildest dreams or nightmares would he have imagined that it would have been with a Grimm hybrid. Up until a few months ago he had no idea such things even existed. Still, the whole experience had been so very... human.

Jaune had seen his fair share of adult movies and content. After all, what seventeen year old guy hadn't? As such, from his knowledge and expectations, the experience had been normal. Weiss had all of the parts he would have expected from a normal young woman. She reacted to his touches and actions as any human would have. As Ruby had once awkwardly shouted, she did indeed have a fully functional womb.

So what did this make him and Weiss now? What was their relationship status? Again, had this been a normal environment, they would have been in a relationship. They would have been dating. They would go out to eat, see movies together, hang out at home and 'experiment' some more. All the things hormone-filled teenagers would love to do in their private hours. However, Weiss was not a normal teenager. With Ruby as their roommate, they didn't exactly have privacy. And the idea of them being able to go out and do normal romantic activities together was absolutely off the table.

So then what was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to expect?

As it turned out, the normal horn prodding was still a thing. It was still the norm. Only now...

Jaune turned to the completely expected source of the pokes to see a pouting Weiss. She hadn't poked him hard. In fact, her blushing and almost docile face made it seem as if she did not wish to hurt him. She merely wanted his attention. She wanted to annoy him into looking at her. Perhaps she wished to rile him up again to the point of dominating her again...

That little quirk of her personality had been an absolute shock. Who knew that the domineering and controlling Weiss was in fact the opposite in the bedroom? Or rather, the kitchen. The room in which the act took place was just another example of how Jaune's expectations for his first time had been thrown out the window.

When his gaze turned to her, Weiss pulled back and stared at him expectantly with glowing red eyes. Jaune couldn't help but smirk a little bit at the satisfaction on her face.

"Yes, Weiss?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, turning to face the front of the classroom again.

The smirk slipped into a frown. Was that it? Had she simply wanted him to acknowledge her?

What a strange girl.

As if that meant anything in a place like this.

Perhaps it was best that they didn't get entangled into any kind of drawn out conversation, as Hazel strode into the room. The burly teacher took his place at the front of the classroom, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back against the edge of his desk.

"Look around," the man ordered. Jaune did as he was told and turned his head to the left and right. He saw his peers doing the same. "There are far fewer of you compared to the start of the year. The fact that you remain here in this school is an accomplishment that you should be proud of."

Was that genuine praise coming from their teacher? Jaune supposed that if anyone was going to hand out compliments that it would be Hazel. In comparison to the rest of the teachers here, he seemed like a good guy. One who actually cared for their well-being. More specifically Jaune's own. It had been Hazel who had given him advice on his survival the first time he had gone up to speak with Salem. It had been Hazel who told him to find something to live for. Had this been any other time and place, he was sure the man could have been a fine and upstanding member of society.

"Consider why your peers are no longer with you," he continued. "They were one-dimensional brutes whose only purpose was to fight. And like in the gladiator games of the ancient past, those who live only to fight will die the way they lived. Those in this classroom have something that the others did not. Do you know what that is?"

The question hung in the air, and even if Jaune had been tempted to raise his hand and answer it, he had no idea what that potential answer could be. In the end what separated someone like Cardin from Yang? What separated Dove from Blake? Those two girls in particular were two of the most monstrous of the hybrids, and yet they survived where others did not.

In his periphery, Jaune saw Weiss' hand shoot up in the air. She waited patiently until Hazel called on her.

"They were all brutish males," she answered confidently.

Jaune frowned when he thought about it. Was that true? Cardin, Dove, Sky, Russel, Nolan...

"No," Hazel answered, shooting down Weiss' answer and in the process interrupting Jaune's own recollections. "May, a female, is among the dead."

Jaune saw how Weiss' face contorted in thought, trying desperately to come up with a new answer. He knew the girl hated to be wrong. It wouldn't surprise him if she continued to answer incorrectly again and again in a desperate attempt to prove her superiority over her classmates.

In the end, however, Hazel decided to answer it himself. "You've all found something more in life than mere violence. You've all found something to live for."

The familiar words resonated in Jaune's mind. It had been the very same advice Hazel had give him at the beginning of his time here. As it turned out, the advice was for more than just him.

"As we've discussed before, finding and maintaining a hold on your humanity is a key part of maintaining your human form. It is an important factor in being able to manipulate your Aura, and not allowing it to destroy your mind." Jaune's thoughts went back to Blake, and her outburst when she had flared her own Aura. Her lack of humanity made such efforts dangerous and painful. "All of you here, in one way or another, have found and embraced something distinctly human."

Jaune flinched as something to his right touched his hand. Turning, he saw that Ruby had taken hold of his hand underneath his desk. She smiled at him, and his heart skipped a beat. The expression on her face was as bright and sweet as a sunset.

Gods, he hadn't seen the sun in months. It never shone in this twisted place. Would he ever see it again?

"The semester is drawing to a close, and the dance will be taking place in the near future. After that, a team of four will be selected to travel to Vale in order to attend the Vytal Festival. I want you to take time today in order to reflect on this past semester and think about why you are here and your late classmates are not. Think about what has separated you from them. Think about what you have found within yourself and others which motivated you to survive this long. That is all."

Hazel strode over to the exit and walked out. Unexpected, but not inappropriate for what was essentially a free period. It wasn't like there was homework to be done. It didn't really matter if the students talked among themselves. In fact, socializing in such a human manner was probably encouraged, if their teacher's words were anything to go by.

Jaune's attention was once more drawn to his right, this time as Ruby began to rub her horns up and down against his shoulder. Pulling back, she smiled once more at him. "Hi."

Her cheery disposition meant even more to him now than it had before. She knew and accepted him for what he was. Like she had said, just as he had with her.

"Hey, Ruby," he answered just as happily.

"So... about what Professor Rainart said," she said softly. "I think I know my answer."

The words warmed his heart. Ruby was indeed embracing her humanity thanks to him. Just as he had set out to do. Despite the fact that Salem had warned him against it, and that it would end in abject failure, Ruby was proof that it could succeed. He could succeed. All of the hybrids could succeed given the proper motivation and nurturing.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Me too."

Hazel had tasked him with finding something to live for. He had. As it turned out, it hadn't just been for himself or for his family. It hadn't just been to live another day. It had been for his friends. Ruby. Weiss. Blake. Yang. They were all dear to him in one way or another. They all needed saving. He had refused to give up on them, and he could see that his efforts were bearing fruit. Ruby was the first and only to know that he was human, but thanks to his efforts she didn't think any less of him for it.

A sharp poke from his left made him wince, and he whirled around to see a familiar look of displeasure on Weiss' pale face.

"I believe that your attention should be focused on me," she all but demanded in her usual haughty tone. "After all, what more motivation do you need than me?"

Motivation. Jaune knew exactly what the girl was implying. And if he was being honest with himself, with his dumb, hormonal, teenage self, the prospect of sex was indeed a very strong motivator for a growing boy and his needs...

The sound of a chair squeaking across the floor turned Jaune's attention back around, and to his surprise Ruby had stood up. "Why stare at one horn when he could have two?" she asked with surprising venom in her voice.

Weiss responded in kind, standing up from her own seat, trapping the still sitting Jaune between two upset hybrids. "Perhaps one horn is all that is required for satisfaction," she bit back. "I know that it only took one horn for me..."

Jaune nearly choked on his own tongue at Weiss' words. What would happen if Ruby found out about him and Weiss? Would she be angry? Jealous? Vengeful? Would she reveal his secret out of spite?

No. Not Ruby. Never Ruby. He had to trust and believe in her. After everything she had said and done, she would never tell his secret. She had even killed Cardin in order to preserve it.

Ruby's arm lashed out, pointing a finger accusingly at the girl on the other side of him. "Horn war!" she snarled.

Weiss' hands moved up to rest on her hips. "Accepted. The winner receives Jaune exclusively."

Said boy's lips began moving, while sounds and syllables of words began to sputter out of them. "W-what?"

"Don't worry," Weiss said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I shall not lose to this broken creature."

Another hand came on his other shoulder. "I'll save you from her," Ruby said comfortingly. "You'll never have to fear another poke from her _one_ horn again."

He wanted to protest. He wanted to say that he didn't belong to Weiss, and that he wasn't some sort of prize to be won in a duel. However, he knew that such words would fall upon deaf ears. If there was one thing he had learned in this academy, it was that hybrids had a culture entirely of their own. One that humans such as himself might never fully grasp.

The girls moved over to a corner of the classroom and began moving desks out of the way for their makeshift arena. For all of Hazel's talk about needing move than violence to succeed, Ruby and Weiss were about to get right to it.

A familiar sight of the two girls circling each other with dipped heads filled his vision. The boy sighed, knowing that this would probably end up like the last fight where both girls wound up on the floor with injured heads.

"Aren't you mister popular?"

Jaune turned to see a grinning Yang standing behind him. Grabbing one of the recently vacated desks, she spun it around so that she could both sit next to Jaune and have prime seating for the hybrid duel.

She wasn't exactly wrong. When two girls were literally fighting over you, it did make you by default popular. However, it didn't mean that he had to like it.

"I guess..." he agreed.

Yang took a seat, resting her gigantic arm on the surface of her desk. "Can't say I blame them, though. After hearing about what you did to Cardin, you're pretty much the top dog in the class now."

Right. After what _he_ did to Cardin. A rumor Ruby had spread in order to protect his secret. In order to make everyone think that he was indeed a creature who was capable of ripping apart a fellow hybrid with his bare hands.

"Yeah," he lied. "Cardin... he got what was coming to him."

By Hazel's own words, the boy had. He lived only for violence. Those who lived by the sword would die by the sword as well. Or by Ruby's scythe, but that little detail didn't matter.

"I wish I could have been there to see it," Yang continued. A finger from her human hand traced lines on his shoulder. "But for a Leviathan Grimm, I suppose it isn't too surprising. Cardin thought he was a big boy, but he ran into an even bigger one..."

He wasn't sure if there was supposed to be some sort of innuendo there. Yang had always been one of the most humanized hybrids, despite her overly monstrous appearance. If anyone understood implications and slang, it would be her.

"I'd offer to mate with you as congratulations, but I guess someone beat me to it."

Jaune's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to face Yang. "What?"

"Oh please, you don't think I can smell that? You reek of Ice Bitch."

"You can smell that?"

"Jaune, I can taste it. Weiss' scent is all over you, even after Ruby trying to cover you with hers."

Just how strong were these hybrid's senses? Did scent really do that much for them? He remembered Ruby once saying that sleeping next to him in bed was in order to keep Blake away. That if her scent was on him then Blake wouldn't be interested.

But if Yang knew... did that mean Ruby already knew as well?

Yang smiled before laughing softly. "I gotta say, I didn't expect you to form a pack of your own. You seemed so uninterested in all that kind of stuff when I offered. But I guess Alpha Males do what they want when they want."

Jaune frowned. Stupid confusing hybrid culture. What did that even mean to be an Alpha Male? And what was a pack?

 _Smile and nod,_ he told himself. "R-right. A pack. Well, it's like you said. I do what I want when I want. Like killing Cardin. And... mating."

He still didn't know how to feel about that. Of course he cared for Weiss, but he didn't know how Grimm hybrid relationships even worked, or if they even had relationships at all. When they took a mate, did they mate for life? Or did they just do it to procreate before moving on? What was Weiss expecting from him moving forward?

"Guess it only makes sense considering that you sleep with both of them every night. What I wanna know is where Blake fits in? Or does she?"

Yang was asking him questions he only barely knew the answers to himself. Questions that he could only take a guess at what they actually meant. Was she asking if he and Blake were...

The image of sharp teeth and a long tongue flashed in his mind. Sex with Blake. What a horrifying thought.

"Uh, no, not Blake," he said hurriedly. It was both the truth, and his true desire. "Nope. Sorry." He didn't know why he was apologizing.

"I guess two out of three isn't bad."

He frowned again. Two? What was she talking about?

Another crash of keratin and skulls saw both girls fall backwards onto the floor. Yes, much like their last duel, this would likely end in a draw. For all their words and bluster, they were both terrible duelists. Not that he had any room to talk, given that he wasn't even a hybrid. Still, even he could see how unproductive their attacks were.

This stupidity had to stop before both girls actually did become stupid from brain damage. Hopefully whatever primal urges they had gotten were out of their systems now. Hopefully the pain in their skulls outweighed any further desire to attack each other for his sake.

Jaune stood up and made his way over to the two hybrids who were currently nursing sore heads on the floor.

* * *

Ruby let out a sigh, absentmindedly poking at the slab of cow meat. It was freshly carved and soaked with blood. But after weeks of Jaune's cooking it was just not appetizing to her anymore.

Jaune…

The thought of her now human roommate was like being stabbed in the chest, she had resolved to accept him, had killed another for him.

So why wouldn't he mate with her?!

Her earlier duel against Weiss had ended disappointingly again. Once more, she and her classmate had fought to a draw. A draw which had been broken up by Jaune before it could continue. The question was, why? Was he doing it in order to protect Weiss? Did his bond with the other girl exceed her own?

Jaune and Weiss had obviously mated earlier in the week. The two of them absolutely reeked of each other that day, and Weiss was stupidly positive afterward. Almost as much as she was. That told Ruby two things. First, that Jaune was now receptive to mating, and second, he must be really good at it going by the dumb grin Weiss wore the rest of the day.

She knew that Jaune had always found Weiss beautiful. Ever since the first moment he had laid eyes upon her human form, it was obvious that Jaune was attracted to her. She wondered if maybe that was the key. Would Jaune be more enticed into mating with her if she assumed her own human form? If she did, would she even be able to hold it while she mated? What if she reverted back to her true hybrid form in the middle of it? Would Jaune lose interest?

What she had told Jaune earlier in Professor Rainart's class had been true. She had found something to embrace that was human. More than that. She had found _someone_ to embrace who was literally human. She loved Jaune. She could hardly believe it herself, but what else could it be? She loved him! She loved him in a different way than she loved Yang, but it was love all the same. She wanted to express that love in the physical way that humans did, just like in that documentary Weiss had shown them that one time. She wanted to take him as not just her mate, but as her Mate.

Ruby wanted it badly. Badly enough to challenge her classmate to a horn duel. A duel which had sadly proven to be indecisive, and so the status quo remained. It wasn't fair. She had been Jaune's friend first. She should have been his first. Not Weiss.

Still, it didn't mean that Weiss had to be the _only_ one.

"What's wrong?" Yang asked, concern laced in her tone. "You've barely taken a bite."

Ruby started slightly she had forgotten Yang was even here. She looked up from the bloody hunk of meat on the plate before her. "It's Jaune…" she said with yet another sigh.

"Trouble in paradise?" Yang chuckled. "Is Jaune giving you less of his lower horn now that Weiss is in on it too?"

 _Less_ of his lower horn? She hadn't gotten _any_ of his lower horn! And it wasn't for a lack of trying either!

"But I haven't gotten any!" Ruby snapped. Despite her forwardness she had yet to rise to the challenge. "Ever!"

She hadn't meant to sound as angry and desperate as she had, but knowing that Jaune had mated with Weiss had made her feel angry. If not for the Cardin situation that had arisen right after, she was sure the feelings would have been even worse. She would have had enough negativity to make her sister proud.

The table shook as Yang's fist slammed down onto it. "What? But you said you and him were mates weeks ago."

That had been a little lie in order to get Yang to back off. The truth of the matter was that they were not mates. They may have slept together, he may have seen her naked, and she may have known his most personal secret, but they were still not on the level of mating yet.

And now she wondered if he ever would. After all, he had chosen Weiss and not her.

"I... may have lied about that," she admitted.

"So wait, you two sleep in the same bed every night and he's still not interested?"

"It's true! I can't get his attention no matter what I do. I don't know what Weiss did in order to get him to do it. It's so frustrating!"

Yang looked at her in disbelief. "Impossible! He's reeked of you for weeks now! Even before Weiss and her one horn got her tiny hands on him!"

"I know right!" Ruby groaned with frustration. "I've been scenting him all week, rubbing my horns against him and everything."

"Seriously nothing?" her older sister asked incredulously. Ruby couldn't blame her for that reaction. Horn nuzzling was the universal hybrid sign of being hot to trot. Ruby had been vigorously rubbing him extra often after killing Cardin too. The only way she could be more blatant is if she had shouted 'mate with me' at him.

"Did you remember to trill while doing it?"

"Of course!" Ruby smacked her head in realization. How could she forget to trill.

She also forgot how sore her head was from her earlier duel against Weiss. Her hand smacked a sore spot where both horn and skull had connected with her own. Ruby winced, sucking in a pained breath caused by her own hand.

"Owie..." she groaned.

"Look, Ruby." Yang placed a hand on her shoulder. "Obviously you need to try a different tactic."

"Tactic? Like what?"

"Maybe make it more clear what you want. After all, you do share a room with him. And a bed. It's not like you're lacking in opportunities to tell him what you want."

Ruby considered what Yang said. It was true that all of her attempts had been rather roundabout. She had always tried to tell him what she wanted without actually being the aggressor. All this time she waited around for him to make the first move. But it was obvious that he wasn't going to make it. Maybe she should take a page out of Weiss' book and be more aggressive.

"But don't worry, I'll have a little chat with him."

"A chat?" she asked worryingly. Yang didn't usually chat. She let her fists do the talking for her.

"Yup. A nice little chat. About how much better my little sister is than old one-horn over there."

"Thanks." Ruby nodded, although she didn't like the tone her sister spoke with, but if it got her closer to her goal that would have to be an acceptable sacrifice. But for now she just had to figure out a new seduction tactic.

Maybe she should just start sleeping naked again.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** New players have entered the game. Should be fun to have a couple more humans in the academy now. Ones who don't know Jaune is also a human...

Also, Ruby fans. Don't be so quick to give up hope. After all, Alpha Males form packs at their own discretion...

As always my thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for all their hard work and input. And to the rest of the Discord server for their continued support and suggestions.

And of course, to all of you for continuing to read and review. Your support of us and this story is truly amazing.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.


	17. Chapter 17

Weiss was immensely pleased. Professor Fall had really come through for her when it came to her extracurricular studies. The woman must have really cared about the well-being of her students. She was a shining example of what a human serving under Salem could be. One who would go above and beyond for those who were objectively better than her. One who would stop at nothing to ensure that Weiss and her fellow Grimm hybrids would have every opportunity to succeed.

By bringing in a pair of humans in order to teach her the more subtle nuances about human relations, Cinder was doing her part in Salem's grand plan. Emerald and Mercury seemed like a good duo of subservient humans who would do as they were told. She wondered just how much experienced the pair had in the act of mating. She hoped it was a lot. She hoped it was with each other too. A brilliant thought entered her mind. What if they gave a live demonstration in the act of human mating? What a glorious sight that would be!

After all, the only live experience Weiss had in the act had been as a willing participant herself. She felt her face grow warm at the memory of being dominated by Jaune in the kitchen. He was indeed the strongest among them. Strong enough to pin her against the wall and take what he wanted. To manhandle her in every which way in order to satisfy his own carnal desires. Together they would form a powerful pack and one day produce offspring in order to continue the efforts of their master.

However, there was more to the lessons than just being able to be a better mate for Jaune. She had a mission of her own, after all. A mission to infiltrate the kingdoms of men and manipulate the humans in it to do her will. As Professor Fall had once said, the art of seduction was a powerful tool in order to encourage humans into doing as you wished. Therefore her lessons were integral for the success of her own future missions.

Weiss frowned. Mission or not, a part of her just could not imagine mating with anyone other than Jaune. If she was ever tasked with such an act, would she be able to accomplish it? Or was her mate more of a... Mate?

Unimportant right now. At this moment her mind should not be focused on hypothetical future endeavors. She had lessons to learn from Cinder's disciples.

The pair of human teenagers had just arrived, and the two reeked of unease. Human negativity was an unfamiliar sensation in this academy, as the only humans present were completely desensitized to both the creatures of Grimm and the hybrids. To have a pair of unfamiliar humans arrive brought with them all the fear and uncertainty that came with humanity.

Weiss was immensely focused on the pair as they entered the room. She hoped that they would get over it soon enough so that she could focus on her lessons. Perhaps she could do something to put their minds at ease.

Focusing her thoughts, Weiss closed her eyes and willed her body to take on its human form. After a few seconds her vision was filled with the sight of pale, human flesh. If she had a mirror available she would have certainly seen sparkling sapphire eyes and full pink lips.

The two humans stared at her with wonder and amazement, and Weiss was relieved to feel that their levels of fear had in fact slightly decreased. "How'd you do that?" Mercury asked.

Weiss stood as tall and proud as her five foot tall frame could. They were right to be impressed by not only her superior abilities, but her stunning good looks as well. "Grimm hybrids have the ability to adopt a human form," she explained. "It is important to be able to pose as a human in order to infiltrate their society and wreak havoc for the glory of Salem."

Their collective fear ticked up once more. Weiss frowned. Such weak-minded creatures these humans were.

"That's... neat," Emerald said cautiously.

"I came to the conclusion that seeing me as a human would put your minds at ease so that we could more easily engage in our lessons."

"Oh. How... thoughtful of you..."

Weiss nodded happily. She was indeed thoughtful. One could never deny how absolutely wonderful she was. Other hybrids should strive to follow her example. She was perfect. There were no twisted appendages or overgrown limbs tainting her beautiful body. No overly positive thoughts corrupting her mind. No, she was pristine and flawless in her form, just like Salem. The only thing that separated her from her mother was her single, glorious horn.

"Indeed," she agreed. "Now, shall we begin?"

Weiss took a seat at one of the desks in the abandoned classroom, folding her hands atop it and looking up at the pair expectantly. She wondered where they would do the deed if there was to be a live demonstration. On one of the desks? Up against the wall? Or maybe even on the floor itself? It didn't matter, Weiss had a prime seat for any and all possible venues for the lesson.

Emerald and Mercury exchanged a glance as silence permeated the room. The boy spoke first. "Well?"

Red eyes narrowed. "Well what? Don't look at me. I'm not starting."

"Aren't you Cinder's favorite or something?" he asked. "She must have expected you to take the lead. Probably even gave you a lesson plan or something stupid like that."

So Emerald was Cinder's favorite? Weiss took a mental note of this. The green-haired girl would be the perfect liaison to her teacher should she ever require further favors.

"Aren't you the one who was so onboard with the idea?" Emerald sniped back. "If giving her the talk is so easy, then you do it!"

"You're both girls, so you should be the one who explains how things work. Obviously you're more familiar with the female body than I am, so you start."

"Yeah, I'm not surprised you have no experience with the female body," Emerald smirked.

Mercury growled, shifting to face his partner. "That's _not_ what I meant," he spat angrily. "And at least I can get some action rather than just fantasizing about a woman who'll never reciprocate some pathetic, misplaced feelings of love."

Now it was Emerald's face which twisted with rage. Weiss watched with rapt fascination as the scene unfolded before her. Such a wonderful display of negativity had her on the edge of her seat. This was just as interesting, if not more so than the documentary about human mating she had watched time and time again over the past several weeks. With any luck both of their clothes would soon come off and the act of mating would begin.

"You don't know shit," the girl snarled as her hands fell toward her hips. Weiss saw a pair of pistols holstered there. Maybe they liked it rough?

"I've seen enough to know plenty." Mercury's hands clasped together before settling over his heart. "Oh Cinder, Cinder! Notice me, Cinder! I'm such a good girl, Cinder! Love me, Cinder!"

Weiss grasped her pen and began to furiously scribble notes down onto her notebook. This was all such gold. Human courtship was exactly how she had always imagined it. As it turned out, she had been doing things properly the whole time. Truly she was an exemplary student who was always ahead of the curve. She just never realized how good she was until this very moment.

"Well at least I have both my legs!" Emerald screamed.

Mercury's hands balled up into fists. "Don't you dare go there," he stated threateningly.

"Or what, you'll kick my ass? Better oil up the joints first, wouldn't want you breaking down from moving too fast."

The two teens were only inches away from each other, both breathing heavily as expressions of pure hate were etched onto their faces. Yes. This was it. It was going to happen. Right in front of her.

For long moments they continued staring at each other. Neither moved. The anticipation was killing the hybrid. "Go on," she urged. "Do it."

In an instant the looks of hate fell away from both teens, and they turned to their single captive audience member. They blinked with surprise, as if they had forgotten she was even there. "What?" Mercury asked.

"Do it," Weiss repeated. "Take her. Mate with her."

Looks or horror and disgust formed on Mercury and Emerald's respective faces. Both teens took exaggerated steps away from one another.

"What?" the girl practically shrieked.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Mercury uttered in disbelief.

To say that Weiss was disappointed would have been an understatement. They had been so close, but now were refusing to do it? Was this some sort of human mating custom as well?

"Like I would ever do... that, with him," Emerald said with revulsion.

"Why not?" Weiss asked. "It's obvious the two of you have feelings for each other."

"W-what!" the girl screeched again.

Weiss nodded firmly. "Yes. It's just like my own relationship with Jaune."

Mercury frowned. "Who?"

"You see, I have practical experience in the act of mating, and the demonstration you just put on perfectly reflects how it is done."

The humans both stared at her silently. Weiss took it as a cue to continue with her anecdote. Perhaps they were the ones who needed teaching here.

"Any good relationship is built on a strong foundation of arguing. Insulting one another and physical confrontations are signs of affection between mates. The building pressure and tension between the two is then used to fuel a session of wild and passionate mating in which all of those feelings are expressed, much to the delight of the participants."

Months of horn poking and insults had built up between herself and Jaune before they had finally mated. And it had been incredible. Weiss remembered how _good_ it had felt when she herself had finally vented. She considered how good Jaune must have felt as well. She doubted it would have been the same had he not been enraged when he had taken her. If he hadn't physically dominated her the way she so enjoyed being done.

"You're... you're joking, right?" Mercury asked.

Weiss shook her head. "Of course not. You two remind me exactly of how Jaune and I interact. Pushing each other around, bickering, the female clearly being superior to the male while not minding being dominated by him. It's obvious Emerald wants you to mate with her."

Mercury blinked, his lips parting as he turned back to face his partner. "Really, Em?"

"Don't listen to her!" the girl shouted. "That's insane!"

"I don't know, you _are_ kind of a bitch. Are you sure you don't want me to... you know?"

Emerald finally grabbed one of her weapons, and Weiss saw how it shifted into a hooked blade-like weapon. "Say one more word about this and I will make sure you'll never have a chance to 'mate'. Got it?"

The hybrid frowned. A little violence between mates was all well and good, but threatening to castrate her partner did Emerald no good. After all, she shouldn't want the boy to end up how Cardin did.

Perhaps she should leave them alone so that they could continue with their own mating process. This had proven to be an enlightening experience for Weiss, and she was pleased to know that she had emulated the human courting process to perfection. She felt as though she had nothing left to learn from the two.

She stood from her seat and collected her belongings. "I thank you for the mating lesson," she told them genuinely with a slight bow of her head. "To confirm that my own actions were correct gives me great confidence for when I enter the human world. I shall use this knowledge in my future mating sessions with Jaune as well."

Weiss turned to leave, but was stopped at the sound of the female's voice. "Wait!"

She spun back around. "Yes?"

"Cinder's gonna kill us if we don't teach her _something_ ," Emerald murmured to her partner. Weiss frowned. What more could they teach her?

"Like what?" the boy asked. "It's obviously she's already doing it with someone."

"I don't know! But we have to say something." A hand came up and Emerald rubbed her eyes. "Look. Are you at least using protection when you're... doing it?"

Weiss thought back to the morning in the kitchen. Eyes lit up when she recalled that Jaune indeed had protection. The thought had never even crossed her mind. In a moment when both of their guards would have been down, it would be very easy for them to be attacked by an unknown intruder. It was essential that they had protection while they mated.

Emerald was clearly an intelligent young woman. This must have been the reason she was Cinder's favorite.

"Yes," she confirmed. "Jaune had his sword at his side throughout the process."

The girl's face scrunched up. "No, not that sort of protection."

Weiss frowned. Was she talking about armor? Sure, armor was useful, but that would have gotten in the way and diminished the pleasure of the experience.

"A rubber," Mercury spoke up.

Her lips pursed in thought. "I have no idea how rubber would protect me, unless Jaune was part electric water-tube fish. Then again I have heard that he is part Leviathan, but I have never heard of an electrified Leviathan."

"Water tube fish?" the boy echoed.

"You mean an electric eel?" Emerald asked.

Weiss nodded. "Yes. That's the word. Humans are so meticulous when it comes to the naming of animals."

"Which isn't the point," Emerald quickly followed up. "Did you use any sort of birth control when you... did it?"

The hybrid blinked. "What's birth control?"

"Oh shit," Mercury gasped.

"It's... it's to prevent you from getting pregnant," the girl explained.

"Pregnant? But I haven't even laid eggs yet."

The humans shared a glance. "Is that how these things work?" Mercury whispered.

Emerald threw her hands in the air. "I don't know!" Her gaze came back to focus on Weiss. "Um... there's no easy way to say this. But if you and Jaune didn't use a condom or some other kind of birth control, you could be... pregnant."

Weiss' heart skipped a beat. She felt a warmth permeate her body.

"Pregnant?"

"Oh shit," Mercury said once more.

Pregnant. Carrying the children of her mate. Weiss' mind began to think of the possibilities should this be true. Though it flew in the face of all she knew about the reproductive cycle.

The human female took a step forward, and for the first time an expression of genuine concern was on her face. "Look, maybe you should go talk to Cinder..."

"There's no time!" Weiss exclaimed. "Quickly, I need straw to construct a nest! I must prepare for the snipe!"

The hybrid quickly dashed out of the room, not giving another thought to the two teens.

* * *

Emerald wanted to scream. How could one person, even if they weren't really a person, be so self assured about being wrong! If nothing else, her encounter with the 'hybrid' Weiss had enlightened her that these creatures were nothing to fear. Foolish children, nothing more. Mercury was still laughing his ass off, the idiot.

The 'hybrids' seemed so much less dangerous now. Some of them were still unsettling, but Weiss had been personable if not peculiar. The princess thought too highly of herself though, in Emerald's opinion. It might even be fun to spar with her, teach the haughty know-nothing some much needed humility. Mercury stopped, Emerald bumping into his shoulder.

"What's the deal, dip?"

Mercury looked around. Finally, scratching the back of his head, he shrugged. "I don't know. Just this weird feeling. Like something's watching us."

Emerald sighed. "We're in a strange nightmare school and you think something is watching us? No duh, moron."

Merc didn't throw an easy insult back. "If you think I'm afraid of a voyeur, fangirl, you're wrong. No, this is something else. Something I don't understand. One of the only good things my old man ever taught me was to keep aware for killing intent at all times."

He twisted and turned, looking everywhere he could. "Nothing. Zip. I don't know. It's uncomfortable."

Emerald frowned. If he was going to start losing it now- she jumped nearly a foot as something cold passed along the back of her neck. Cold and sharp. Eyes wild, she turned around. Nothing. "Merc, you felt that right?"

Mercury stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Something just touched me! From behind!"

The boy shook his head. "No way. I've been on high alert ever since I felt like something was watching us, Em. Watching every corner. No way something snuck up and gave you a wet willie. Funny as that'd be."

"Not like that! It felt like a blade!" Emerald wanted to slap her partner.

Mercury went still, looking around. Emerald watched him with baited breath. They were in a corridor, illuminated only by those damned candles. Shadow littered everywhere. Everything. Emerald looked up, over Mercury's head. Nothing but darkened ceilings, built high as old buildings often were.

Mercury shrugged. "I don't think anything is here with us. Doesn't seem very likely. Maybe something was watching us though, I'll grant that."

Emerald nodded. "I guess I'm just imagining things." It wouldn't be that strange. A place like this could do that to a person.

He threw his arms behind his head. "Have to be."

Above him, out of the corner of Emerald's eye, the darkness was briefly illuminated. Two vividly red blades slashed together, setting off a shower of sparks that revealed a red fanged creature with wild black hair and what could have been some kind of animal ears or horns. The thing winked at Emerald before darkness swallowed it once again.

Screaming, Emerald drew her weapons, opening fire on the ceiling. Mercury dropped low to the ground, jumping away as she sprayed gunfire across as much of the ceiling as she could.

She hit nothing. Saw nothing.

"What the hell, Emerald!"

"Hybrid, above us!" Emerald was not taking her eye off of the ceiling. Not after that.

Mercury's eyes widened as he spun back onto his two feet. "You sure?"

"Damn thing winked at me! Has like, blades for hands!"

Mercury, for his part, did not question her further. "We gotta calm down. Remember what the big dullard said. They sense fear. Let's just go. Whatever it is, if it keeps messing with us, we just put it down! Cinder will get us out of any trouble."

Emerald nodded. For once, he was making sense.

The two continued, Emerald's glaring eyes never leaving the ceiling. A nagging thought reminded her, even watching the ceiling she hadn't seen a thing before either. Emerald shoved that personal comment into her back pocket where it belonged.

A very different hybrid was waiting for them down the hall. His physical form was intimidating without question- a muscular human body with what looked to be a Death Stalker grafted onto his back. Each of the arms of the Death Stalker were replaced with guns of some kind, to boot. But what caught Emerald's attention the most was that he looked to be distressed. In pain, if she was being honest.

Approaching cautiously, she waved at him. "Hey there, uh..."

He nodded jerkily at her. "Wesson."

"Wesson. Yeah. Hi there. Are you okay?"

Wesson grimaced. "I would not expect a human to worry over one like me. But you are a notoriously compassionate people."

"...thank you?"

"You could take that like a compliment, yes." Wesson jerked. "I just want to tell-" he hissed in pain, Emerald and Mercury trading glances. "Warn. I wanted to warn you. The hybrid named Jaune. Avoid him. At all costs. He will kill you."

This nearly made Emerald take a step back. "Why would he-"

"He is the strongest hybrid at this school. He has fought horrors and nightmares, rumor has it he has even battled the teachers more than once." Wesson's head turned slightly. "He even claims to have faced Salem and survived. He makes a point of finding the strongest and slaughtering them without respite."

Mercury, smirk on his face, crossed his arms. "Yeah so what. We're pretty strong too you know."

Wesson lashed his human arm out, cracking the stonework of the wall with but a glancing blow. Mercury's smirk faded. "I do not mean to threaten. I tried to fight him once. Gave him everything I had. He toyed with me. Took it all and laughed. He is a monster of monsters. Do not approach him. Do not believe him. He has perfected his human guise and is-" Wesson scowled in pain, stumbling forward.

What was wrong with this guy?

"Is what?"

Wesson, through gritted teeth, replied. "Gathering a pack. A powerful, dangerous pack. He is making them completely subservient to him. To face Jaune is to face death. He will smile at you, he will be friendly, but in his eyes your life will hold no more value than that of a fly. He may only spare you for your usefulness to him. Either as fodder, or breeding stock."

"Oh really? Hear that, Em? You're going to be fodder!" Mercury laughed, Emerald glaring at him. "So I guess that means he's going to try and use me for breeding stock? Good luck!"

Wesson nodded immediately. "He will try, yes. Jaune does not allow simple impossibilities to stand in the way of what he wants. He will kill even the defenseless if he has reason, and so help you if you catch his eye. Even as we speak, he tempts and corrupts the only one of us who could have ever been called innocent. He lures her into his den of carnal sin and she has no say in the matter. The first was the shy, sweet black cat. He taunts her, tempts her with what she wants and greedily keeps it from her. He torments her. The White Witch, he dominates. Forces into his embrace. Breaks walls in his lustful ways. You will be the same, if he takes a liking to you."

Emerald and Mercury both were done with this conversation. Those final words were the last straw.

"Yeah screw you man." Mercury flipped him off, already walking away.

Emerald stuck her tongue out. "Don't try and scare us anymore with this bullshit. Like anyone in this damn school is actually that monstrous."

She jogged to catch up to Mercury, the boy obviously bothered by what he said. "Merc, do you think Cinder could be in too deep?"

"Stupid idiot isn't something we should worry about. Who cares about some big bad hybrid named Jaune of all things? That one didn't even know how to put a jacket on without tearing it."

Emerald stopped. Turning around, she looked back. At Wesson's feet was a coat. A heavy coat. One that had been shredded. As if it had been removed in a great hurry. Wesson convulsed, his tiny sub arms twitching as he dropped to his knees.

"Please-enough-said everything-you-"

He was too far away to make out exactly what he was saying. Emerald was about to turn around when she saw his back. A long the center of the Death Stalker-esque form, a near invisible line revealed itself. Emerald watched in horrified fascination as the line widened, two familiar red blades emerging from within Wesson. Twin black cat ears, matted with black ichor, emerged next, followed swiftly by blazing red eyes and-

Emerald ran screaming. Mercury would not get her to answer why.

* * *

It was unusual for Jaune to have free time these days. True free time, at least.

Recent events had ensured that Jaune was surrounded by fellow students on a regular basis. His physical relations with Weiss had definitely made her cling to him far more than usual. Perhaps she felt it necessary to solidify her 'claim' to him, or at least whatever claim she felt that she had. They had after all had sex. To normal people that would have been enough to solidify their relationship status. Then again they were anything but normal. However, Weiss had informed him that she had private lessons of some sort this afternoon, and would be absent for the near future. He had no idea what it could be, but if it was enough to separate her from him it must have been important.

Speaking of abnormal, Ruby was surprisingly absent as well. His best friend and the only hybrid who was in on his secret had made no excuses as Weiss had. Rather, she had simply vanished after classes today. Jaune supposed he shouldn't be too surprised nor disappointed. It wasn't like she or anyone else had to be around him constantly. It wasn't as if she had nothing to do besides follow him around.

Jaune stopped in his tracks. A quick peek behind him revealed nothing. That did not, however, mean that no one was there...

If there was one thing that was true about Blake, it was that she could be anywhere. At anytime. Every shadowy corner was a potential hiding spot. Every inch of the ceiling was her playground. There were very few places he knew he could ever truly be alone.

Sadly he was not going to that place right now.

With Ruby and Weiss otherwise occupied, Jaune felt it was a good time to get some extra training in. In a place like this it was always a worthwhile investment to get stronger. Every training session he could get in would lead to his abilities growing. To improve his strength. His speed. His endurance. He couldn't afford to be idle here. His life depended on it. The lives of others did as well.

As he walked the hall he saw a pair of unfamiliar faces approaching. Quickly, too. As they neared Jaune could tell they were not hybrids. At least not any he had ever seen. The way they moved was also unusual. There was a sense of purpose behind each step. A sense of urgency, like they had to move quickly without flat out running.

Were they... human? And if so, who were they?

The girl, a young woman with cocoa skin and green hair stopped in her tracks. Red eyes almost the same hue as the hybrid's stared at him.

"Uh, hey," the blond greeted with a wave of his hand.

The male, one seemingly around his age with gray eyes and silver hair, stared as well. They were definitely scared. Jaune had been around this academy long enough to know fear when he saw it. He had experienced it too many times himself.

"Are you a hybrid?" the female asked.

Jaune was faced with two choices. To lie or tell the truth. To not let anyone else in on his potentially fatal secret, or to perhaps be able to bond with a pair of actual humans his age that were for some reason at this school. Maybe he would be able to take them under his wing and teach them how to survive in this place.

The answer was easy in the end. He had lied this long and he had lived. No reason to stop a good thing while it was still going.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "My name's Jaune. What are your names, humans?"

He felt funny phrasing the question like that, but he had to play his part. Apparently he played it too well.

The girl took an uneasy step back. "That's the one Wesson talked about before he..."

Jaune frowned. Wesson had spoken about him to them? He wondered about what. Whatever it was, it had obviously put them in a state of unease. Maybe it was about how he had killed Cardin. Another lie, but a lie that could only help him survive.

"That's Emerald," the boy said. There was an edge to his voice when he spoke. His body was seemingly on edge as well. "And I'm Mercury."

Emerald and Mercury. Maybe he'd ask around about them later. He wondered if they were in the same position as himself. Experiments for Salem. If they were then they had certainly more skilled than he had been when first arriving. Mercury at least seemed prepared to fight should Jaune initiate a confrontation. Emerald meanwhile seemed spooked by something, but Jaune didn't doubt that she was a capable combatant as well.

Best to end this conversation before it got that far then. "Well nice meeting you both, but I have to get going."

Jaune purposely stepped to his right, and his fellow humans did the same on their side of the hall. With clear paths before all of them, the trio went their separate ways. Their eyes were locked onto each other's as they passed.

Yeah, he was definitely going to ask Ruby or Weiss about them when he met up with them later.

Arriving at the training room without further incident, Jaune looked around. No one else was present, but then again the numbers had been thinned out quite a bit since first arriving. Once he had been the one on the chopping block for the culling, but it had been the actual hybrids themselves who had been culled from the herd. Jaune's heart went out to them. He knew that they were all innocent victims just like his friends, but there was sadly little he could do for them. He had his hands full as it was with the four girls who had all seemingly taken an interest in him for different reasons. If someone like Cardin or Wesson didn't care to befriend him or get in touch with their humanity then there was nothing he could do about it. They were, as Hazel had once said, mindless brutes who existed for violence. Brutes who would likely die by it as well.

Unsheathing Crocea Mors, Jaune held his family's blade aloft and let the dim light from the room reflect off the steel. This was an ideal time to continue honing his form. It wasn't enough just to be strong or fast. He had to be familiar with his weapon. With his techniques. While he hadn't gotten a ton of training from his family before setting off to join what he thought was a huntsman academy, he knew a little. He would practice what he knew until it was second nature to him. Until the blade was an extension of his body.

Jaune's body jerked around, barely seeing the fist flying at him before it hit. He raised his sword just in time, but even then the powerful impact of an enormous black fist knocked him off his feet and sent Crocea Mors flying from his hands.

Scurrying to his feet as quickly as he could, he barely evaded a second fist which pounded on the floor where he had once been. Jaune gasped for air as he took a few steps away from his attacker.

"Yang!" he screamed, unable to control the volume of his voice. "What are you doing!"

"Fighting, duh."

A third time she swung, and a third time she missed him, this time her large Grimm appendage smashing into the wall behind him. Bits of sharp concrete flew into the air and on the floor. Had he tried to take the blow Jaune was sure that his Aura would have been depleted in one hit.

"I can tell!" Jaune ducked another strike, this time rolling to the side before quickly collecting himself for the follow up. "But why!"

Yang grinned, barring her teeth as a pair of glowing red eyes gazed eagerly at him. "'Cause I wanna talk."

Jaune threw his hands up in frustration. "So pick one or the other. Not both."

"Boring!" Yang launched herself at him again. Her meaty Grimm fist swung and Jaune dodged. Right into the surprise left hook from the hybrid's normal human arm.

It hit him squarely on the jaw, sending him tumbling down onto his backside. Blue eyes were wide with shock. Yang had never done anything like that before. It had been strategy. Not simply mindless violence. She had made him expect one thing only to do something completely different.

The question was, why?

Then again there were far more important questions on his mind. Ones which would hopefully distract the girl from her assault. Jaune brought his own hands up, now far more alert to the possibility of Yang actually landing a blow on him.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked.

The blonde girl was bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet, her own hands raised as if imitating a boxer. With one arm so grossly mismatched with the rest of the body, the sight was almost comical. Comical if it didn't have the potential of ending his life.

"Ruby," she answered flatly. Another fist came his way, and this time Jaune didn't evade into the path of her waiting left arm. Rather he dodged to Yang's right where she would have a much harder time compensating on the fly for his action. It clearly worked, as there was no follow up strike this time.

Jaune continued backpedaling away from the hybrid. "What about Ruby?"

"You think you're too good for her?" she asked accusingly. All former finesse was lost when her Grimm arm swung at him again, this time with no plan of attack. It was rage. That much was obvious in her voice. "You think you can just ignore her?"

Too good for her? Ignore her? What was she talking about?

"I'm not ignoring her," he protested as he avoided another swing. "And I don't think I'm too good for her. What are you talking about?"

"She's been rubbing her horns on you for days now! Or even longer! And you haven't done anything about it!"

"Yeah. She likes doing that. I don't mind it."

Apparently that was the wrong answer, as Yang snarled again before lunging at him. "You bastard! How can you just ignore her feelings so casually!"

What was there to do? It wasn't like he had horns he could rub her back with. He had always just assumed it was some sort of sign of affection like a hug. He had no problem hugging Ruby. He'd done that plenty of times.

"I already told you I'm n-"

"She wants to mate with you!"

The words stopped Jaune dead in his tracks. Blue eyes widened and his mind went blank.

Not a good thing to do in the middle of a fight. Even if it was only a spar.

Yang's fist sent him flying back into the wall, the impact knocking the wind out of him when he slammed against it. Jaune didn't have a chance to recover before he found himself in the grasp of the powerful hybrid. He was a large young man, yet Yang was able to easily wrap gnarled black fingers around his torso and press him up against the wall.

Red eyes burned with anger as they stared up at him. Jaune squirmed and struggled with all his might, but Yang's hold on him was absolute. A part of him thought about activating his Aura, remembering how it had affected Blake when she had held him in her grip. However Yang did not seem interested in squashing him. She could have already done so. Rather, she seemed interested in that talk she had spoken of.

"Why are you ignoring Ruby's mating signals? Why are you having sex with Weiss and not her?"

Jaune never imagined a scenario where an older sibling would be upset with him for _not_ sleeping with their younger sister. Then again these were Grimm hybrids he was talking about. He shouldn't expect things to play out like they would in the real world.

"What mating signals?" he asked with genuine confusion.

"Were her horns going up and down or side to side?"

The question momentarily gave the boy pause. How was he supposed to remember that?

Jaune tried his best and thought back to the last time Ruby had nuzzled her horns against him. Had it been the Cardin incident? No, it was more recent than that. The previous day in Hazel's class. He recalled Ruby rubbing her horns against his shoulder there. It had been up and down, now that he thought about it.

"Up and down," he answered after the answer came to him.

"You fucking idiot," Yang breathed. "She's expressing her attraction to you. I know you don't have horns, but don't you know anything?"

What was he supposed to say? The truth? Of course he didn't know anything! He was a human!

There was so much about these Grimm hybrids he didn't understand. Things like their horns and what they did with them were apparently important non-verbal methods of communication. And that was just for ones _with_ horns. Knowing what he knew now, who knows what Blake might have been trying to convey to him with all of her strange words and actions?

He decided to go with Yang's own words, and play it off as if his lack of horns meant that he didn't understand the nuances of their use. "So... what did all Weiss' poking mean then?"

Yang scoffed. "Oh she's just a bitch," she said nonchalantly. "She's trying to assert dominance over you. Which apparently didn't work considering what you've been doing with her."

Jaune wondered how much Yang truly knew about Weiss' methods and motivations. He wondered if Yang knew that for all of Weiss' posturing and poking, _she_ was the submissive one.

"But Ruby..."

"Ruby wants you," the girl finished. She released her grip on Jaune, and he fell down to the floor after his unprepared legs buckled beneath him. "So either do something about it or stop leading her on. It's pissing me off."

Do something about it. If Ruby's actions meant that she wanted to mate with him, there was only one thing that could be 'done' about it.

Jaune picked himself off the floor and dusted himself off. Do something about it. He couldn't deny that he wanted to. Ruby may have been a Grimm hybrid, but she was so many other things than that. She was kind. Caring. Attractive. Adorable. Trustworthy. His first and best friend in a world filled with violence and fear. Ruby was a friend who had found out the truth about him and accepted him for who he was. She had saved his life from Cardin. She apparently still harbored feelings for him despite the fact that she was a hybrid and he was a human.

What about Weiss, though?

"So you know I... slept with Weiss," he said knowingly.

"So?"

Jaune blinked. Had he phrased it wrong? Did Yang not know that sleeping with Weiss meant sex? "I mean I had sex with Weiss," he clarified. "You know that, and Ruby probably does too. So why does she, why do you still want me to do it with Ruby?"

"I don't see the big deal," Yang said just as casually as before. "A pack leader can have multiple mates. No reason you can't too."

Pack leader. Yet another hybrid term he was woefully unfamiliar with. Horns. Pack leaders. Alpha males. It was such a strange culture that he was still having trouble getting used to all these months later. However, Jaune felt he had a grasp on the idea now. In a pride of lions there was a single male and multiple females. Could that be how it worked in Grimm hybrid packs as well?

"Right," he agreed. Never mind the fact that he didn't fully understand her words.

"So if you want Ruby in your pack, just go do it already. Or tell her you're not interested. But just stop leading her on, or else you won't make it out of our next fight. Got it?"

Jaune understood the threat loud and clear. "Yeah. I got it."

Yang snorted dismissively before turning. "She's probably in your room right now. Go talk to her before Weiss is done with her stuff."

The hybrid walked away, leaving Jaune alone with his thoughts. So Ruby was interested in him like that. He couldn't tell himself he wasn't interested in her the same way. Despite what she was, he had developed a crush on Ruby long ago. Considering how close they had grown, it wouldn't be unusual to make things official, would it?

No more unusual than anything else at this strange academy.

* * *

Jaune steeled himself as he stood before the door to his own room. If Ruby was inside he was prepared to have a conversation with her about something deeply personal. It wouldn't be the same as Weiss. With Weiss it had been a spur of the moment thing. An act of passion. He had thought he was going to die. Here, however, Jaune knew that he was safe. Relatively safe, at least. He also knew he cared a great deal about the girl on the other side of the door, and she felt the same way about him. That made it okay, didn't it?

He didn't know the answer to the question, and ultimately decided to handle things as they came along. No plan survived contact with the enemy, and despite Ruby not being an enemy, he knew that any and all preparations he made would be thrown out the window once they were alone. He would just have to do what he had done every step of the way since joining this academy. Wing it.

Pushing the door open, Jaune saw a lone girl sitting on the bed. Ruby looked up, bright red eyes gazing into his own, and a soft smile played on her lips.

"Hey, Jaune," she greeted happily.

She didn't seem sad. That was good. The way Yang had been talking earlier made it sound like Ruby was heartbroken over his lack of action. Was the blonde merely over blowing the situation? Or was Ruby just that good at hiding her emotions?

"Hey," he smiled back. "How've you been?"

Ruby shrugged. "Same as always." She stood up and moved toward him, wrapping her arms around his torso.

Jaune assumed she was giving him a hug to greet him and brought his arms around her to do the same. He froze as Ruby's head lowered, and she rubbed her horns against his chest.

He now knew what that meant. It was more than just a sign of affection. Far, far more.

"Ruby," he said softly. His hands moved up to her shoulders and he gently pushed her away from him.

Red eyes stared up at him. There was concern on her face now, perhaps because she had been forced away from him. "Jaune?"

He hated seeing her hurt like this, even if only for a moment. His hands remained on her in a show of good faith, hoping that she would realize that he didn't want her away from him.

"So Yang told me what you've been doing..." he began. Jaune saw how Ruby's teeth softly and subtly bit down on her lower lip. "What all the, uh, horn rubbing meant..."

Soft gray blushing formed on the girl's white cheeks. Her eyes darted away in embarrassment, but she made no move to escape his grasp. "Yeah..."

Step one was out of the way. That was good. The ice had been broken. Now all that was left was resolving it.

"Can I just ask... why? Why me?"

Seconds of silence passed by before Ruby finally acted. She reached up and took one of his hands in her own, removing it from her shoulder and tugging on it to follow.

Jaune did as he was silently requested, and followed her to sit down on their bed. Even once he was seated next to her she did not let go of his fingers. If anything her grip on him had tightened as they sat together.

"Before you came here, my life was horrible," she said softly. "I mean I had Yang, but that was it. We didn't really do much together, and sometimes it felt like the only reason she put up with me was because we're sisters. If she had been anyone else, she wouldn't have been able to handle my positivity."

Jaune remembered the first time he had met Ruby. She had been surprised he was able to stand being around her. She was amazed that he wanted to be her friend. That he wasn't repulsed by her and what everyone else perceived to be as broken emotions. Positive emotions.

"You wanted to be my friend. We became roommates. We did everything together. You accepted me for who I am. For what I am. Jaune, you're a human and I'm a Grimm hybrid, and you're still accepting me for what I am. That's pretty strange, don't you think?"

The fact that he had been desensitized to Grimm and hybrids did not make their situation any less strange. He had to admit that. "Yeah," he agreed. "Looking at it for what it is, it's pretty strange."

"But you don't care," she continued. "You don't see me as a monster. You see me as a friend. And... I don't see you as a human. You're just my friend, Jaune."

Jaune couldn't help but smile at the simple view of their relationship. She was right. This wasn't about what they were anymore. Human or hybrid, they were simply friends.

"I don't know if humans and Salem will ever be able to get along, but we can. Maybe it's because I'm different. I don't know. And I don't care. I like you, Jaune. I like that you're my friend. I like that you came to this school. I like spending time with you. I like that you like me. And..."

Ruby moved as quickly as lightning, pressing her mouth against his. Jaune was caught off-guard, and her lips made quick work of dominating his own, hungrily taking what she wanted. A hand came around to grasp the back of his head holding him in place, not that he was interested in escaping in the first place.

She had been learning her lessons well, and it seemed like all the practice they had done together paid off. Kissing Ruby was a pleasurable experience that got his blood pumping and his heart pounding.

After a few seconds she broke off, pulling back to reveal sparkling red eyes and a happy smile. "And... I like doing that with you."

Jaune was breathless, but he nodded. He wasn't about to lie to her after she had just spilled her guts to him. "Yeah," he breathed. "I like that too..."

Her cheeks darkened even more. He wondered if the positivity she must have been giving off would be enough to deter any Grimm hybrid from stepping within fifty feet of her. With where this was headed, that may not have necessarily been a bad thing.

"So I wanna... do what humans do to show affection," she murmured. "Like in that movie Weiss showed us."

The infamous documentary. Jaune remembered it all too well.

He also remembered Weiss. Despite what Yang had told him, he wanted to know what Ruby thought about her. About what they had already done.

"Speaking of Weiss," he started. "You know that we already did that, right?"

She nodded. "Yup."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Yup."

"Even if she wants to do it again?"

"Yup."

A smile curled on Jaune's lips. "Can you say anything other than 'yup'?"

"Yup."

He shook his head. "You're so weird."

Ruby snorted. "So are you. Not many humans around that would become friends with us. Or mate with us."

Jaune couldn't deny that. Despite how strange this place was, he was just as strange. He was a human who had learned to co-exist with Grimm hybrids. A human who had fallen for a pair of them as well.

"Yeah. I guess so."

He watched as one of Ruby's hands crept up to her shoulder, casually slipping one of the straps of her dress down her arm. "So... if you wanna..."

He did. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

It was all the invitation Jaune needed. Wrapping an arm around Ruby's waist, he was the aggressor this time, taking her lips in his own. He brought his weight down on her, and the pair adjusted into a better laying position on the mattress. Like they had one so many times before, they kissed and cuddled in bed together. Only this time it was going in a far different direction than normal.

Jaune needed to come up for air eventually, and when he did the sight below shocked him. His eyes widened and his lips parted. "Ruby..."

"Huh?"

"You don't have to do that," he told her. "I think you're beautiful just the way you are."

The girl looked up in confusion. "Do what?"

The face of a normal human girl stared back at him. Pale tan flesh devoid of black veins was flawless to look upon. Silver eyes, bright and brilliant as mirrors, gazed into his own. A flat and smooth forehead held no trace of the long horns which had only minutes ago rubbed against him.

Ruby had taken on her human form and hadn't even realized it. The simple act of being intimate with him was enough to make her body do it on its own.

Jaune decided not to tell her. If he did, if she thought about it, it might stop working. He wanted her to feel human. He wanted to help her move away from being the monster that Salem had turned her into. If doing this with her made her feel more human, if it helped her get in touch with that side of herself, he wasn't about to stop her.

"Nothing," he said softly, coming down to brush his lips against hers.

Distinctly human hands reached around his back and held him close to her. "I love you, Jaune," she whispered into his mouth.

His heart skipped a beat, but his words came without hesitation. "I love you, Ruby."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The pack grows. Jaune's getting a better understanding of hybrids, and Ruby's getting a better understanding of humanity. Even if she doesn't realize it.

As always I want to thank **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for all their hard work and contributions. This story would definitely not be what it is without their help.

I saw that the one and only **Dishwasher1910** recently talked about this fic on their Twitter, and I'm incredibly humbled by the praise. Without Dish this story wouldn't exist, and it means so much to me to have this approval. So thank you, Dish. Keep up the great work.

And of course, my thanks go out to all the fans, both old and new, for your support. I hope I can keep providing you with a good and entertaining story.


	18. Chapter 18

Eyes fluttered open at the sound of sudden commotion.

As Jaune tried to move he found that he was pinned in place by the girl to his side. Not exactly an unusual predicament due to his unique sleeping situations. Having a girl snuggled up on either side of him was a normal thing to wake up to, which to this day still boggled the young man's mind. It was one of the few good things to come out of this mess of a school.

Pressed against the left side of his body was Ruby. The girl who the night before he had... engaged in relations with. For the second time, with the second girl, Jaune had been intimate with a hybrid. And like before with Weiss, Ruby had all of the functional parts which he would have expected from a normal human girl. She had all the reactions to his touch that he would have expected as well.

A head of red-black hair rested on his chest right where his heart was. Jaune wondered how Ruby had fallen asleep with the organ thumping away beneath his ribcage. Maybe the rhythmic beating of his heart had aided the girl? Perhaps provided some sense of comfort to a girl who he knew subconsciously longed for her true mother? Whatever the case, as it was right now Ruby lay peacefully asleep next to him.

Her left arm was draped around his torso, coming to rest around his back and squeezing him tightly. One of her legs hooked around his own, tangled between them and pinning him in place so that he could not escape her. He wasn't particularly eager to escape her anyway. Right now, with Ruby in his arms, he felt a sense of peace and comfort that was hard to come by in this terrifying school.

What stood out the most, however, was her appearance. Ruby remained human even now. Even hours later. Even in her sleep. Had their act of love been the catalyst needed for her to find her humanity once and for all? Was she now able to hold her human appearance indefinitely due to their connection? If that were the case then he was on the right track. She was on the right track. Jaune wondered if that was all any of the hybrids needed to get in touch with their buried humanity. Love. In whatever form it may come.

Jaune's arms wrapped tightly around Ruby's back, giving her a gentle squeeze as his lips came down to gentle brush her hair. A soft kiss grazed it before pressed down further to her head. The girl in his arms shifted ever so slightly, her own grip tightening on him even as she slept. As if she knew in this moment, even when she was not conscious, that she was being loved. And he did love her. He loved all the friends he had made here in this school, but Ruby was a special case. Maybe it was because she had been his first friend here. Maybe it was because of the close bond they had shared over the months. Or maybe it was because she knew his secret and still cared for him all the same. Whatever the reason, deep down he knew that his love for Ruby was special.

More noise filled his ears, and now that he was fully awake he was able to focus his attention on the source. Peering over to the door, he saw Weiss enter the room with her arms filled with what he could only describe as random items. Textbooks. A blanket. Clothing. It was all bundled up in her arms as she made her way toward the bathroom. As quickly as she had come into view the white-haired hybrid had vanished. The clatter of her possessions hitting the floor made more noise, and Jaune looked down to Ruby hoping that she would not be awoken by the commotion. Thankfully she remained soundly asleep next to him.

Still, Jaune was curious as to what his other friend was doing. Though it pained him to do so, he would have to pry Ruby off of him and leave the warm embrace of his lover. With any luck it would only be a brief departure, and he looked forward to returning to bed with Ruby.

Slowly and gently he began to dislodge Ruby's powerful limbs from his body. Unhooking the arm from around his torso, he kept Ruby in his embrace as he rolled himself, and her, over and onto her back. The new position gave Jaune newfound freedom, and he released the girl before rolling back over onto his side of the bed. Ruby lay sleeping on her back now, and Jaune frowned before taking hold of his pillow. He placed it next to her and wrapped her arm around it, and Ruby took hold of the pillow even in her sleep. She snuggled it tightly, it acting as the perfect substitute for his absence.

Jaune stepped onto the cold floor of their dorm and moved over to the bathroom where Weiss continued to work on some unknown project. The sound of paper being torn apart filled his ears. Standing next to the doorway, he peeked his head in to try and get a look at just what she was doing.

"Weiss?" he asked. "What are you-"

The snarl of the hybrid was surprising, but not nearly as surprising as the sudden thrust of her horn as she charged his chest. Keratin met sternum, and Jaune was forced back and away from the bathroom.

"Out!" Weiss shouted. "Stay out!"

"Weiss!" Jaune cried in surprise. "What the heck!"

"This is my territory! I must ensure that it is free from predators who would threaten the safety of my young!"

Jaune had absolutely no idea what the girl was talking about, but it made even less sense than what usually came out of her mouth.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I am going to experience sudden mood swings and unusual food cravings!" she replied unhelpfully. "I require a regular diet of pickles and ice cream! Prepare such a meal for breakfast at once!"

With that Weiss slammed the door shut in his face, and he honestly couldn't say that was a bad thing. It was too early to deal with whatever Weiss was doing.

Turning back around he saw that Ruby had woken up. It would have been amazing if she was able to sleep through Weiss' shouting.

In her arms she still clutched the pillow that Jaune had given her. Unsurprising, he figured, since it still held his scent. Holding it close to her also covered up Ruby's still undressed body, though Jaune knew from experience that she was not doing so out of shame.

Jaune moved back over into bed, crawling in before pulling the sheet back over the two of them. He looked into a pair of loving silver eyes, and Ruby smiled as he settled in next to her.

"Good morning," he said softly.

"Hi," she replied just as quietly. Meekly.

"So... humans who are close to each other usually kiss when they wake up. Did you want to do that?"

Ruby nodded eagerly, and in a flash moved in close to his face. Jaune did the same, closing his eyes and tilting his head before his lips met Ruby's. It was a soft, brief exchange, nothing at all like the heated passion the two had shared the night before. But it was all that they needed to show their love and care for each other.

Jaune pulled back and saw how her tanned flesh blushed ever so slightly. He smiled at how adorable she was. She had always been so. Even before they had become more than just friends.

"I like the way humans do things," she said. "Do all humans kiss each other when they wake up?"

"Nah. Only humans who... do the stuff we did last night."

She nodded, the blush darkening on her cheeks. "Oh." Silver eyes darted away from his. "I... liked that too."

The words made Jaune's heart skip a beat. Ruby was practically glowing this morning. Last night, for a brief moment, he could have sworn that she was literally glowing as well.

Jaune reached out to take Ruby in his arms and pull her close. She readily complied, and allowed her head to rest in the crook of his arm as Jaune's larger frame enveloped hers. She sighed contentedly against his chest.

"I liked it too," he agreed. Even now he felt his body warming and reacting in a way that only a woman's touch could do to a man. "A lot."

A husky breath bordering on a moan slipped through her lips as she squeezed down tightly on Jaune's body. No words were needed in order to convey her current feelings.

For long moments the two laid there in the warmth and comfort of each other's arms. Like before when he had first woken up, it was a feeling of pure bliss. Only now they both were able to experience it with their conscious minds.

It was different from his experience with Weiss. While he did love and care for her, their first time had been born out of passion. It had been spontaneous and in the heat of the moment. Jaune had been angry. He had been afraid for his very life. So when the opportunity came to vent those emotions, and to have sex for the first time in his life, he had taken it. His and Weiss' time together had been rough and passionate, and as it turned out that was just how she had liked it. Weiss liked it rough.

With Ruby though it had been gentle. Slow. Intimate. He was able to drink in every sight and sound the girl made. He was able to look her in the eyes as they made love. He knew Ruby appreciated that in a way Weiss didn't. They were two very different hybrids both out and in the bedroom.

Or in Weiss' case, the kitchen.

A hand came up to gently stroke Ruby's hair. Even now he still loved to be gentle and affectionate with her. "Did you know that you're still in your human form?" he asked.

Ruby's head came up so she could view him. "I am?"

He smiled as he nodded. "You were human last night too. All night. Even while we... you know."

An expression of unrestrained joy beamed on her face. "Really?"

"Yup."

"That's so cool!" she shouted, throwing the covers off of her and leaping out of bed. "I wanna see!"

A very naked Ruby dashed over to the bathroom, and for the first time Jaune didn't feel uncomfortable with her lack of clothing. After all, he had seen more of her than ever before the night before.

As she grabbed the doorknob, Jaune was suddenly reminded of what lay on the other side. "Ruby, wait-"

He was too late, and Ruby opened the door to the bathroom. As soon as she took a step inside she cried out in sudden pain. She stumbled backwards, hands clutching her chest where a single horn had just furiously poked it.

"Stay out!" Weiss snarled. "This is my nest!"

Ruby didn't have to be poked twice to get the message, and the door once more slammed shut. The girl stood alone in front of it, hands clutching at her chest where she had been poked. Again, the fact that she now covered her body had nothing to do with shame.

Jaune swung his legs off the bed and stood up, approaching the girl who had only wanted to see her human form. He smiled softly, knowing that she must have been just a little bit disappointed with Weiss preventing her from doing so.

"We'll find another mirror," he said soothingly. "But right now I'm feeling hungry too. Wanna get dressed and I'll make us something to eat?"

Ruby's sadness turned to excitement in a flash, and she eagerly nodded. "Yeah! Food sounds great right now. I guess I kinda worked up an appetite after last night..."

Jaune grinned at the compliment, even if she didn't know she had just given him one. Immature manly pride coursed through his body.

"Same," he agreed. "And we'll even make something for Weiss too. Maybe she'll stop acting so weird if she gets something to eat."

Weiss had mentioned something about unusual food cravings. He would be sure to make enough for her to enjoy too whenever she decided to leave the bathroom.

"Let me go put something on real fast."

Jaune watched as Ruby gathered up her black dress from the floor, thrown off carelessly the night before. Seeing her, and all of her, was a sight he would never grow tired of. It was funny how things had changed so radically in just a single night. Where before he had been uncomfortable with her casual manner of undress, now he couldn't get enough of it. He supposed the feelings they felt for each other made all the difference.

He loved this girl. He would save her or die trying.

* * *

As Ruby strode down the hall beside her mate, she couldn't help but feel different than she had the previous day. She felt stronger. Faster. There was an extra spring in her step which allowed her to keep up with Jaune and his long legs easier than before. It was as if mating with Jaune and sharing his powerful juices had somehow imbued her with their own power. While Ruby wasn't all that familiar with human biology, it seemed like a logical conclusion.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Last night she had gotten quite an education on human anatomy.

Her face warmed with the thought. She had mated. With a human, no less. A few months ago she never would have expected such a thing to have occurred. She never could have seen herself with any of the other hybrids who had attended this school. They were all such savage and brutal beasts, and none of them appealed to her in the slightest. The idea of mating, even for the purpose of creating new spawn to further Salem's glory, had not been appealing.

That was, until Jaune came. Now she couldn't imagine herself being with anyone but him for the rest of her life. There were mates, and then there were _Mates._ Ruby wanted Jaune to be her Mate for life.

Even if that meant sharing him with the rest of their pack, that was okay. She knew that Jaune had enough love and care to go around. She knew that his love for her was genuine as could be. He was human, after all. Positive emotions like love and compassion came naturally to him. They didn't make him a freak like they made her. Never before had Ruby been happy about the fact that she was a freak. Now, however, being the freak with happy thoughts and positive emotions was her greatest strength. It was her greatest asset in her friendship and relationship with Jaune.

A look down at her flesh showed that she was still in her human guise. Though she had been unable to enter the bathroom and peer into the mirror to see her face, she knew that it was human as well. A touch of her forehead revealed no protruding horns. No Apathy limb hung from the right side of her body. Had it been her love for Jaune? Had that been what was finally able to allow her to feel fully human, and do what she once thought he had been able to do? Hold the form with no effort at all?

Maybe love did conquer all. If that was true, then Salem needed to rethink her plans about humanity.

Love. What a wonderful feeling.

Ruby moved next to her mate, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling herself against him. Her head nuzzled against his shoulder, eager to feel the warmth they had shared in bed earlier.

A soft hum sounded in Jaune's throat, and he moved an arm to wrap around her body as well. "You okay, Ruby?"

She nodded against the fabric of his hoodie. "Yeah. Never been better."

It was true. As long as she could remember, she had been alone. Maybe never truly alone thanks to Yang being with her, but she never really felt home in this place. In the only home she could remember. Now though, she felt as though her simple dorm room was indeed a home. A home with a two roommates, one of whom was a mate.

Jaune squeezed down comfortingly on her. "Good to hear."

Ruby felt a gnawing hunger in her stomach as they neared the kitchen. Perhaps their physical activities had sapped her of energy and she needed to replenish her nutrients. If that was the case, then she was in no better hands than Jaune. His cooking skills had forever ruined the normal hybrid cuisine for her, and she relished every opportunity she had to spend time in the kitchen with him.

She saw how he was rummaging through the freezer and cabinets, and noted how he wasn't taking out all the usual wares for cooking. There were eggs, but there was no meat. How was a hybrid supposed to build and maintain a healthy muscular system without protein? Instead there were other things he was placing on the counter, including that awful-tasting powder known as flour, and that delicious tasting other white powder called sugar. She wondered exactly what he had up his sleeves.

As the boy was mixing ingredients into a large bowl, Ruby came up and tugged on his sleeve. "Whatcha making?"

"I remembered something," he said softly. The long pause afterward made Ruby's eyes narrow in confusion, wondering why he had stopped. She was about to voice her concern before he continued. "You're doing a better job at maintaining your human form than ever. It must mean you're getting more in touch with your humanity, right?"

That was as good an explanation as she could come up with. That meant she was succeeding here at this academy. "Yeah. I guess. Why?"

Jaune shook his head softly. "It's nothing. I just thought... maybe we should try something new. Have you ever had cookies before?"

Cookies... cookies... they sounded familiar, but she couldn't put a meaning to the word. In the end she merely shook her head. "I don't think so."

Jaune nodded in turn, and she noticed how a frown had slipped onto his lips. Had she said something wrong?

"I didn't think so," he said. The tone in his voice matched his expression. Why did he suddenly seem sad? She could sense the negativity emitting from him.

"Is that what you're making now then?" she asked, pointing to the large doughy substance in the metal bowl. "Cookies?"

"Yup. Today we're baking cookies. I think you'll really like them."

That was comforting to hear. Even though there may not have been meat on the menu, the fact that Jaune thought she would enjoy these cookies made her feel confident about his choice in food today.

Ruby observed how he placed blobs of the light brown goo on a metal tray. Darker brown solid chunks of something dotted the sticky mounds, and it didn't look appetizing at all. However if Jaune thought it was a good idea, she would simply have to trust him.

It didn't take long at all for the things to get done, and the timer going off made Ruby's mouth water with anticipation. They smelled wonderful. It was a sweet aroma the likes of which she could not recall ever experiencing before. Yet for some reason the back of her mind tugged at her, telling her that this was indeed familiar in some way.

Jaune removed the tray from the oven, setting it on top before closing the door. Ruby's stomach rumbled with anticipation, and she reached out to grab one of the scrumptious looking things that sat before her.

"Ruby, wait. They're still-"

As she attempted to pry the food from the tray, flesh met metal, and a jolt of pain shot through her fingers. A yelp of equal parts surprise and pain shot through her lips. Crackling red energy coursed over her whole hand, and it recoiled immediately from the offending tray.

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" she cried, shaking her hand.

Instinctively her body began to shift. Skin paled to white, eyes turned from silver to red, and a pair of horns jutted from her forehead. Damage and injury would better be dealt with in her Grimm form. As a result her body transformed without even thinking about it.

"Ruby, are you okay?"

Placing a pair of fingers inside her mouth, Ruby nodded wordlessly. Jaune was upon her in a heartbeat, taking her shoulders in his hands.

"Let me see," he said, urging her to remove the injured fingers from her mouth.

Ruby complied, holding them up for Jaune to examine. He took her hand in his, and the size of it made the difference in their statures all the more apparent. His hands dwarfed hers. Only one of his hands could completely envelop both of hers.

Her skin looked utterly pristine. There was no sign of a burn. No blister. No cuts or scrapes of any kind. At least that was good. Still, Jaune stared at the fingers even after he had finished inspecting them. What was he looking at?

"Jaune?" she asked.

"That glow," he asked. "Can you do it again?"

That glow? Ruby panicked. She had seen it as well, and if Jaune sounded worried about it then should she be? "I-I don't know!" she exclaimed. "Is it bad? Did the cookies do it?"

To her surprise, a smile slipped onto his face. Jaune shook his head softly as he continued to hold her hand. "No, Ruby. It wasn't the cookies. I don't know what it was... but it was something."

Her head tilted in confusion. "Something?"

"I thought it might have been a trick of the light," he continued. "Or maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me. Like when people say that they're... uh, glowing after having sex. Metaphorically at least."

This did nothing to help with her understanding. "What are you talking about?"

Jaune moved and grabbed a large kitchen knife. The hybrid had no idea why. If he was about to stab that stupid tray for daring to hurt his mate, it was a sweet gesture, but would ultimately do nothing to help the situation. After all, she had made the mistake. Not the cookies.

Ruby's eyes grew wide when he brought the blade up to his finger. "Jaune! What-"

He sliced open the tip, and Ruby gasped in horror as she saw blood trickle out of the gash. And just as soon as it had appeared, a white light covered his digit and sealed it up.

Red eyes narrowed, looking at the finger, and then back up to Jaune's face. She only had one word on her mind. "What?"

"Aura," he answered. "When I get injured, I can heal it with my Aura. Up until last night Blake and me were the only students in the academy which had it unlocked. But after last night... I think you might have it too..."

Ruby looked down to her hand. Pallid white skin and twisting black veins were all she could see. How did she know if she had it? How did she use it?

"That red glow," he continued. "It happened as soon as you got injured. And now there's no trace of injury where you burned yourself. That had to have been your Aura, Ruby."

Ruby continued to stare at her body. Her Aura. She had her Aura? When! How!

"I don't understand," she admitted. "How did I get it? Or unlock it?"

Jaune looked away embarrassedly. "Um..."

Red eyes narrowed, and she poked a finger into his sternum. "Jaune, you explain it to me this instant!"

Instead of reacting with pain like he might have from one of Weiss' horn pokes, Jaune merely laughed at her touch. How dare he! Did this human not realize she was a ferocious Grimm hybrid? She could tear him limb from limb if she wanted, and here he was laughing at her fury!

"Okay, okay," he laughed. "Don't go all Weiss on me."

Ruby's nose scrunched up, a soft growl slipping through her lips. "Tell me what you know!" she insisted.

"Uh, well... I unlocked my Aura when Tyrian sent me out to die. I guess it was because of the stress or the danger or something. Something emotional. Does that make sense?"

She nodded. That made sense. Getting sent out to be culled would be a traumatic and emotional experience even for a hybrid. And Jaune back then had just been some helpless, squishy human!

"And, well..." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I think that yours might have unlocked last night when we were... you know."

When they had mated? Jaune unlocked her Aura like that? Like sticking a key into a lock and unlocking what lay behind? Only instead of a key and a lock, it had been...

"Oh," she breathed. Her gaze shifted from her hand to his face. "You can do that?"

Going by his criteria, it had been an emotional experience for sure. Feelings of love and passion had coursed through her. There had been pain as well at first, and maybe that had triggered her body to unlock her Aura in order to protect herself. She didn't know. Maybe Hazel would.

She would just have to ask him if sex could unlock a person's Aura.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Maybe it was just a... you thing. Because I don't think it happened with Weiss."

Ruby nodded. So if Jaune hadn't unlocked Weiss' aura through mating, did that make the bond she herself shared with him different. Dare she say, special?

"You should definitely talk to Hazel about learning to control it better though," he continued. "I don't know all the finer details myself. It's hard to explain. And you definitely won't want to shift back into your hybrid form when you get hurt when we're out in a human kingdom."

Ruby nodded, staring down at her Grimm arm. Through the gap in the appendage she could see the floor. She had never really thought about how it looked before. How inhuman it was. Or rather, she had never cared about such a thing.

Not until this moment at least.

She willed herself to shift back into her normal human form. So she could look normal like Jaune again.

Normal.

The word stuck with her. Normal. Did that make her abnormal? It was again something she had never considered before. If Jaune was normal, if humans were normal, what did that make her?

"Ruby?" his voice sounded.

Her head snapped up. "Huh?"

"Are you okay? You look like you suddenly got sick."

She shook her head. "I'm fine." Wasn't she?

"Well if you're up for it, I think they should be cool by now," he said as he moved over to the tray of food. Picking one of the cookies up from it, he handed it to her. "Try it."

The hybrid brought the food up to her nose and took a sniff. It did indeed smell delicious. Tentatively, she brought her lips around it and bit off a piece.

Her world exploded in a rush of sweetness.

Eyes widened as she chewed on it. The soft grainy texture of the thing dissolved in her mouth, while the warm, gooey sweet morsels melted on her tongue. A second bite later the thing was gone, and Ruby chewed on it as if it would be stolen away from her if she didn't hurry.

And she needed more.

With the tray cool enough to touch now, Ruby grabbed a cookie in each hand. She shoved them into her mouth, chewing like there was no tomorrow on the soft, warm, wonderful things. Cookie after cookie disappeared through her lips until soon only a couple remained.

Only then did she realize her error. She had left precious few for Jaune.

She looked up sheepishly at the boy, and he in turn could only smile down at her. "I take it you like them?"

Ruby nodded feverishly. "Uh huh!"

He laughed. "I see that. Practically devoured the whole tray, you little cookie monster."

The words caught her attention. "Cookie monster?"

The smile slipped from his lips. "Oh, no, I didn't mean like that. You know I don't think you're a monster."

She shook her head, stopping him before he could say another word. Ruby grabbed hold of his hands with hers, beaming as she smiled up at him. "No. I like it."

"You do?"

An eager nod answered his question. "You remember how you still owe me a nickname, right? Like how you call Weiss 'Snow Angel'?"

"Yeah. I remember."

"Cookie Monster," she stated flatly. "That's my nickname."

Jaune smiled, another small chuckle escaping his lips. "You're sure?"

"Yes. Cookie Monster. Because... it'll remind me of this moment today. It'll remind me of the day after we mated. And you telling me about my Aura. And the first time I ever tasted cookies, so... yes. Cookie Monster. That's my nickname."

Her reasoning was perfect. It was the finest name he could have given her, even if he hadn't intended to. It was a name she would treasure for the rest of her life.

"Okay then. Cookie Monster it is," he agreed happily.

His gaze shifted to the sad, empty tray which she had nearly emptied single-handedly. Another twinge of guilt ate at her. Now Jaune was left with only a couple of the delicious things for himself.

"Guess we'll have to make more," he added. "After all, my little Cookie Monster needs her cookies."

Ruby's heart soared. Today just kept getting better and better.

* * *

The door to the kitchen exploded inwards, Yang entering oversized fist first. Her eyes glowed a violent red, Jaune taken aback as they settled on him. Snarling, she snatched him up by his hoodie with her normal hand.

"You, me, talk now!"

Jaune looked back at Ruby, who was befuddled by what was going on.

"Yang?" she asked.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt him. He's just going to go fix his damn problem!" Yang looked back at her sister for a moment before turning her full furious glare on Jaune.

"What, what did I do?" Jaune tried to rack his brain. Yang was happy he and Ruby slept together. A thought entered the back of his head, the inkling that Yang would want her own turn. Paling at the thought, Jaune shook his head. No, that couldn't be it.

"You are going to get your mate under control before I kill her!"

Jaune blinked. "Mate?"

Screaming, he hit the far wall.

"Yang!" Ruby snarled, teeth barred as she stepped between him and her sister.

"Deal with her unless you want me to!" Yang stormed out of the kitchen, cursing to herself about oddities and something about stolen hair products. Jaune knew he couldn't have heard that correctly.

Jaune, getting to his feet, shook the cobwebs out of his head. "I'm okay," he told her. Still, the words did little to lessen the tension in the room. Ruby still stood ready to fight even her sister on his behalf.

He still didn't know what the blonde was talking about. Mate? Ruby was in the kitchen unless...his eyes widened.

Weiss!

She was acting strange that morning, and he didn't tell her about sleeping with Ruby yet! What would she say? Panic gripped his heart.

Ruby came forward, eyeing him with concern. "Want me to come with?"

Jaune shook his head. "No, I should be the one to talk to her. Hopefully she'll understand. If she doesn't, we'll figure something out." Nodding to himself, he looked at Ruby. "I love you."

Ruby smiled. It nearly made him cry. "I love you, too. And you better be alright! You owe me more baked goodies!"

Jaune laughed, moving off. Cookie Monster indeed.

One thing he didn't expect to run into was Wesson, slouched against a wall of the hallway. Looking around, Jaune approached him slowly.

"Are you okay?"

Wesson's head jerked up, breath coming in sharp. "Jaune. Yes. You. Okay."

Jaune eyed the boy. He was without his jacket, leaving his full Grimm mutation exposed. He looked paler than usual, if that was possible. "Wesson?"

"The beast was," Wesson stopped, taking a breath. "Nervous. Of the new students. Needed somewhere to hide."

Jaune blinked, looking at Wesson's back planted firmly against the stone wall. Grimacing, he saw with revulsion the black ichor that dripped down below.

"She has done this before. It will heal." Wesson slid down the wall, leaving a trail. "Pain is only evidence that you still live. I will cherish that, if nothing else."

Jaune winced. "Why didn't you fight back?"

"She is too enticing. Too beautiful to harm. Some would say she is even lovelier than our Lady Salem, though I was not the one to tell you that. It is difficult to act against such a creature." Wesson lowered his head. "Terror incarnate, the beast of shadows and deceit. She of the thousand smiles and million blades. One such as I could never be worthy of her attention. I am too weak, succumb to the pain of her touch too easily. Not like you." Wesson locked eyes with Jaune. "You are a greater man than I, to be able to lay with her and stand day after day."

Jaune did not know what to say, backing away from the wounded hybrid. He didn't know if he wanted to say anything. Finally, he just nodded. "Lucky, I guess."

"If only I could be as strong. Treat her well, Jaune. She is like lightning. Beautiful to see if you are lucky enough to, but will kill you in an instant if you can't."

Jaune, nodding his head like a madman, walked backwards away from Wesson before breaking off into a run. Blake wasn't that bad was she?

Yes, he knew without a second of doubt, she was. She was worse.

She was sympathetic.

Thankful that instead of Blake, though he held little doubt she was somewhere nearby, Weiss was the one he would deal with, he entered their shared room.

He strongly considered turning around and walking back out the door. The top bunk had been torn to pieces, literally if he could see it right. Bits of the wood frame remained on the bed below, tattered cloth and ruined linen left all around. A wall had been torn into, Jaune stepping over to spy another room entirely on the other side. Looking at what made the entrance, Jaune could only conclude it was something sharp and long. He really hoped it wasn't what he thought.

Worst of all, the bathroom was gaping open, darkness deeper than any pit within except for a single red light from the ceiling. Or rather, what he surmised to be, the hole in the ceiling.

Through stone and wood, something bore through all the way, piercing the ceiling and exposing the room to the sky itself. The door was gone, where he couldn't say, and the doorway expanded in the same rough, crude fashion. Taking a deep breath, he stepped to the threshold.

"Um, Snow Angel?"

Bright red eyes opened in the darkness.

"You are required, Jaune."

Jaune swallowed, taking a step back. "Um, are you okay, Weiss?"

If anything, the glowing red light intensified. "You are required. Enter."

Jaune stepped in, fumbling at the light switch. Turning it on was fruitless, he discovered, sparks of electricity firing off from above. Afforded scant seconds of sight, Jaune saw with some confusion Weiss sat upon a throne of makeshift garbage. Was she naked? Why would she be naked!

Reaching into his pocket he retrieved his scroll. Turning the light on, he put it in the corner illuminating the room. Weiss was indeed naked, hunched forward. She was sweating, Jaune's eyes drawn to every taut line of flesh and subtle inch of muscle. She glared at the light of the scroll, looking back at him.

"What do you think you're doing? We must have total darkness!"

Jaune looked up at the makeshift skylight. Weiss waved him off.

"That is something that must be, there is no avoiding it. Now, come embrace me Jaune! We must slither together to finish our copulation!" Holding her arms out wide, Jaune blessed with a clearer look at the bare woman than he'd ever seen before.

He nearly took her up on the offer then and there. Only, that last bit confused him. "What, what are you talking about?"

Looking at her throne, he realized it looked more like a nest. String of varying types, bits of stone and metal, toilet paper, towels...Some kind of paste that might have been shampoo once, caked together to hold a disparaging amount of materials together. Including, strangely to Jaune, a purple bra.

Since when did any of these girls own bras?

Praying to himself that it didn't belong to either Cinder, or worse yet Salem, Jaune tiptoed around the mess of shattered glass and wood shards.

Weiss crossed her arms. "I have tried every way I could to lay the eggs we need, but nothing has happened! Clearly, you must be present when this happens. Or, if I am misremembering, the Snipe must not know we are truly ready to receive child since we are not together on our throne of family rearing."

Jaune blinked. "What are you going on about?"

"We are pregnant, Jaune. I am surprised the morning sickness has not hit you yet." Weiss scoffed to herself. "What a poor fate that will be for you."

A half a million feelings crashed into Jaune, threatening to overwhelm him. His vision swam, his hearing leaving him, his heart jack hammering in his chest. Then, one single thought came to him, a memory near and dear to his heart. Looking at Weiss curiously, he spoke slowly.

"Weiss."

"Yes?"

"We can't be pregnant."

Weiss scowled. "We had sex, Jaune. We mated. To mate, we must be pregnant. That is how mating works! Now join me on the throne!"

Jaune held up a hand. "Weiss, we didn't, I mean. That is to say. I didn't. Finish, in a way, that would get you pregnant. Remember?"

Weiss squinted. "What do you mean? I ingested your DNA into my body as is required."

Jaune really wished he had someone else around to teach Weiss sexual education. Whoever that poor fool was, he truly did pity. "Weiss, Snow Angel. That only works if I finish in a specific spot, in you. But you had me, you know...with your mouth..."

Weiss tilted her head. She was adorable when she was confused, Jaune hated to admit. "What does it matter?"

"Well, one leads to the womb. The other leads to the stomach. And the, ah, stork,"

"Jaune, Snipe. Please. Do not say such stupid things."

"I'm sorry. Snipe. The snipe doesn't recognize a proper union unless the, what would you call it Weiss?"

Weiss thought a moment. "Sacrifice. You sacrifice some of your DNA into the holy alter of perfection that is my body, and from that union a child is born. Yes?"

Jaune sighed. "I, yes. Yes. You're right. Anyways, we didn't finish in a way that would result in a child." Not unless hybrids were truly strange inside.

Weiss scowled. "A pity. I am keeping the Throne of Child Rearing, however. For the future."

Jaune paled. "If the teachers tell us to fix things, Weiss-!"

"They will not. I will not allow them the choice." Weiss leapt off of her perch, built atop the toilet and joined into the showering area and over the sink.

Jaune, realizing that she'd slice her petite feet up, grabbed her from her fall. Holding her bridal style, Weiss arched an eyebrow at the young man.

"You wish to try for a child now of all times? I fear it is quite out of the question. My renovations have left me quite tired." One impossibly warm arm joined the other around his neck, Weiss leaning up to his cheek. Hot breath played with his ear, freezing him solid. "Tonight, however, if you insist. Then maybe something could be arranged."

Jaune hurried over to the bed, laying Weiss down. He knew he was blushing like mad but he couldn't stop it. Guilt tore at his heart battling the lust she ignited within him. "IsleptwithRubyI'msorry!"

Silence roared back, his confession spilling out in a jumbled heap.

Weiss stared at him, Jaune awaiting the verbal outrage or physical horn pecking to follow.

Instead she just stared at him, confused.

"Yes, and?"

Jaune shared her confused stare. "You're not upset?"

"You two were already mates, were you not? Of course I'm not upset."

Jaune's mouth opened, a strangled noise coming from his throat. She really believed they had been, all this time?

Weiss gasped. "You weren't? Really? So, I was your first?" A smug smile overtook her features, Weiss crossing her arms. "Well, that is quite the advantage to have in our new pack. I was content leaving such matters to Ruby, but knowing now that such responsibilities fall upon my capable shoulders... Yes, you do have excellent taste, waiting for perfection before slumming it in the lesser wares." Weiss beamed at Jaune, a knowing look on the know nothing's face. "I approve of your tenacity Jaune. Aim for nothing less than the best first."

"...pack?"

Weiss nodded enthusiastically. "Well of course. We shall have a strong and powerful pack, with many brood to oversee our will and dominance. I will, as the First Mate," she preened, "Have to negotiate proper birthing rights with Yang of course. I do not think she will be much of a hassle. I also believe that it gives me the power to marry individuals when surrounded by water."

Jaune began to sweat. "Y-Yang?"

"Well obviously! She is one of the strongest females left alive. We would be fools not to have her in our pack, even if it's only as a brood mother. Blake goes without saying of course," she continued.

"Do I get a say in this?"

Weiss looked at him like he had asked the dumbest question in the world. "Of course not. Your job, as the father, in some texts your role is referred to as the Captain, is to raise our young properly and ensure many strong children from each of us. Of which I am positive you will do flawlessly. You will require a compass, of course!" Weiss cackled to herself, grabbing up random articles of clothing. "I must find Cinder and tell her of these developments! She will be so excited! I wonder if Servant Emerald is a capable shipbuilder..."

Like a demented whirlwind, Weiss was gone, Jaune left alone in what had been their room. Jaune stared at the darkest corner of the room, unsure how to process what just occurred. A mane of yellow hair emerged through the hole in the wall, Yang eyeing the destruction with disdain.

"So you didn't knock her up after all."

Jaune shook his head.

"Good. We've got that mission coming up. Can't have her preening on a nest for however long that'd take." Yang shook her head. "Can't believe she wants kids. Ugly things. Can't trust 'em. They make you feel things you don't wanna feel. Like when Ruby was a kid- the worst!"

Yang started to leave, Jaune struggling to comprehend everything the white haired hybrid had gone on about. She stopped a moment. "Also, you realize Ruby could be pregnant right?"

All color drained from Jaune's face.

Yang's laughter filled the room even as she left. "Thought so! For what it's worth, I think you'll make a great father. Later, lover boy!"

Jaune didn't even react to the sympathetic patting of the blade against the back of his exposed neck. He just lowered his head.

"Thanks, Blake."

* * *

 **Burk note:** Howdy there folks! This is sometimes helper and writer of most of the violence in this story, Burkion. How ya'll doing? I won't take up too long of your time, just wanted to announce that I have my own original web serial going right now. **The Lightning Brigade**! A kind of superhero book with heavy sci-fi and fantasy elements, about a group of people dealing with horrible monsters and powers from beyond the stars! If you enjoy the fighting and some of the darker humor of this story, please consider giving it a look.

You can find it on its own website or, the easier option, head over to Royal Road and look up The Lightning Brigade. If you drop by, just be honest with what you think and hopefully you'll have a good time. I update a new chapter twice a week, Tuesday and Saturday and we're currently on chapter 7 as of this post. Thanks!

 **Author's Note:** Better late than never! Apologies for not having a chapter out on the usual Wednesday. I know there wasn't a chapter out last week either, but I updated something else instead. Sometimes I just need to write something different. Back by popular demand, **Red Like Roses? Gross!** has received not just one, but two new chapters! So go and check that out if you want some nice, fluffy Lancaster goodness.

As always my thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for all of their invaluable contributions.

And of course thanks to all of you for continuing to read, review, and enjoy this story.


	19. Chapter 19

When Emerald left Haven Academy to come to this place, she thought she would have been done with classrooms. As it turned out, she had just traded one for another.

Thankfully she was not sharing the room with any fellow students. At least not now. The teenager sat in silence with Cinder and Mercury, each staring down at their respective projects. How had this happened? How had this fate befallen any of them? Especially to her mentor?

Emerald was a master thief with a Semblance specialized in mental manipulation. She could easily stalk her prey in silence, sneaking up behind them before delivering a fatal blow with her bladed pistols. Yet here she was, helping to plan a school dance for a bunch of monsters. It was almost as bizarre as said monsters. At least none of those were present at the moment.

Her pen tapped in annoyance on the notebook before her. They were supposed to be coming up with ideas for the dance. What more was needed than the basics? Get some lights, get some music, and let the creepy little hybrids dance. Why they needed to dance was still a mystery to her. It wouldn't have been the first since arriving here.

She supposed no time was better than the present. Looking up from the near blank sheet of paper, Emerald saw how Cinder was also deep in thought. "Excuse me, ma'am?" she asked meekly.

A head of raven hair rose, and narrowed golden eyes stared into her own. "Yes?"

"Pardon me," she began apologetically. Emerald didn't want to sound as if she was questioning Cinder's decisions, after all. "But could you explain to me why we're doing... this?" Her hands gestured to the notebooks on the table in explanation.

To her surprise, Cinder sighed. A hand came up, and her thumb and index finger rubbed her eyes tiredly. "If you only knew how many times I've asked that same question to myself..."

The thief looked away, not wishing to see her mentor in such a state of discomfort. Cinder had always portrayed herself as being calm and collected. She was always the one in control. Here, however, it had become apparent that she was in fact not her own master. She was not in control of her own fate. Her frustrated answer right now only emphasized that point.

"The answer, however," she continued. "Is that we must prepare the remaining hybrids for their trip to Beacon Academy."

Emerald's eyes widened. "Those... those things are coming with us?"

Cinder nodded. "They are. The four best and brightest will be competing in the Vytal Tournament as a part of... final exam, I guess you could say."

"And what's this dance gotta do with fighting?" Mercury asked.

"Beacon is going to be holding their annual school dance," Cinder explained. "As such, we must expose the hybrids to dancing. Thanks to their classes here they will already know what to expect when it comes to classroom activities as well as combat classes. Dancing, however, is a foreign concept to them."

Emerald understood now. Still, the fact that not only her and Cinder's talents, but begrudgingly Mercury's own were being wasted on teaching a bunch of monsters how to move to music ate at her. They should be out there doing actual work. Bringing about actual change. Not rubbing elbows with these freaks of nature.

"If you ask me, getting this dance thing over with can't happen soon enough," Mercury commented. "These things give me the creeps."

It was a rare moment of vulnerability for the assassin. Normally Emerald would have been inclined to snipe at the comment and mock him for his fear. However, there was nothing normal about their situation. If she were to take a shot at the boy for his comment, she knew he would easily throw it back in her face.

After all, the walls had eyes. The walls were alive with slithering darkness. The walls reached out and touched her...

"For once I have to agree with him," she added. "Every time I leave a room I get the feeling that there's something crawling around on the ceiling. Like it's stalking me..."

A low hum sounded in Cinder's throat. "I see you've met Blake."

Red eyes widened and narrowed in rapid succession. "I don't understand how you can say that so nonchalantly."

"She really is harmless once you learn how to deal with her. Just don't be afraid of her, and she'll lose interest."

Emerald wanted to explode and ask how that was even possible. How did one just stop being afraid of the weird, terrifying tentacle monster that skittered along the walls and ceiling? Instead, Emerald chose a more diplomatic route rather than risk upsetting her master.

"I see," she said softly.

Though she understood, that didn't mean she had to agree with Cinder's assessment. There were just some things in life that were not okay. Blake happened to be one of them.

A soft knock on the classroom's door earned her attention, and all three people turned toward it. A hand instinctively reached for one of her holstered pistols, but her mind corrected that line of thinking. With Cinder here there was no danger. Cinder wouldn't let any harm befall her.

"Come in," the woman in question called out.

Emerald hoped against hope that it would not be the girl they were just speaking of.

The door opened, and to her relief it was not Blake who entered, but someone almost as bad.

"Professor Fall," the girl greeted respectfully, offering a slight bow of her head. Icy blue eyes focused on Emerald and Mercury next, and her nimble fingers gripped her skirt before dipping into a slight curtsy. "And her disciples. How truly wonderful it is to run into all three of you at once."

It truly was eerie how Weiss could transform herself into a perfectly normal looking human being. Those not in the know wouldn't even bat an eye. Emerald was loathe to admit it, but she was in reality a very beautiful girl. She knew, however, that it was all just a facade.

"Weiss," Cinder greeted evenly. "How may I help you today?"

Weiss stepped closer to them, hands folded nearly across the front of her body. She looked so unassuming. So docile. Like a fairy tale princess speaking to her fairy godmother. _Her_ fairy godmother. A twinge of jealousy shot through Emerald's body, but she controlled her face to not betray the dark thought.

It didn't stop those cold eyes from suddenly focusing on her, however. A shiver ran down Emerald's spine.

"I would like to speak with you more on the act of human reproduction," Weiss explained. "Specifically, on the process of one becoming pregnant."

Forget the shiver, Emerald's entire body had suddenly become cold. All traces of jealousy had been replaced by pure, unadulterated fear. Fear of what might befall her should her comment about Weiss potentially being pregnant actually come to pass.

Cinder turned to the teen, and for once Emerald was not happy to have her mentor's attention focused on her. Golden eyes blazed with literal fire as they threatened to burn holes through their victim's body. "I thought you gave her the talk," she said lowly.

"I did!" Emerald insisted. She looked over at Mercury. This blame was not something she intended to share herself. "We did!"

"Evidently not well enough."

"Your disciples did a fine enough job of demonstrating the act of a human relationship," Weiss interjected. For once Emerald would not protest the incorrect assumption that she and Mercury were an item. This insane hybrid might actually save her life with her false impression. "However, much to my regret, I appear to have failed to become pregnant as a result of my relations with Jaune."

Emerald let out a breath of relief. Good. Weiss wasn't pregnant. That meant Emerald was in the clear.

"I see," Cinder said evenly. "You... wish to become pregnant?"

Weiss nodded. "Yes. It is my desire to bear many strong children of the strongest hybrid in the school so that we may advance Salem's plans. However I appear to have trouble with the process. Therefore I wish to do all that I can to guarantee the arrival of the snipe."

"The snipe?"

"Indeed. It would appear that despite my best efforts I had a misconception about the process of conception."

In a perfect world Emerald would have made some sort of snide remark about Weiss' word choice. This, however, was not a perfect world. It was anything but that. As a result she bit her tongue, letting her master do all the talking.

"Really?" Cinder asked with sickeningly sweet sarcasm. It was truly a wonder Weiss was unable to pick up on it.

"Yes. I mistakenly believed that ingesting a male's seed would yield the same results as any other method."

To her side, Emerald heard Mercury snort a small laugh. Glancing over at the boy, he was covering his face with a hand desperately trying to not break out in full-blown hysterics.

All traces of humor were wiped from his face with Cinder's next words. "Fix this."

Emerald's eyes widened as she looked over to the woman. "W-what?"

"Fix. This," she said slower this time. "I don't care how. Just do it."

Emerald wanted to scream. Right now planning a dance seemed like the best thing in the world compared to dealing with this lunatic Grimm hybrid.

"I mean, if this is a problem we could always just castrate the guy," Mercury suggested.

It was a very poor one, as it turned out.

Weiss moved with speed beyond Emerald's comprehension, and in a flash her hand was around Mercury's throat. The size disparity between the two would have been comical if not for the hateful blue eyes boring into her companion.

"Do not speak of maiming my mate," Weiss hissed.

Mercury's body squirmed in his seat, his hands trying desperately to release Weiss' from his neck. To his horror, and to Emerald's shock, it would not budge. Just how strong were these creatures?

Emerald looked back and forth between the fight and Cinder, wondering what she should do. Should she draw her weapons? Attempt to break the two up? Or simply do nothing? A glance at Cinder showed her doing nothing. She darkly wondered if this would have been the case had it been her rather than Mercury on the receiving end of a hybrid's assault.

"Weiss," Cinder said calmly. How could she be so calm in a situation like this? "Release him."

The hybrid complied immediately, and a large gasp for air filled the room as Weiss let go of Mercury's throat. A couple words had succeeded where a trained assassin's hands had failed.

Emerald felt even more out of her element than ever before.

Weiss turned back to Cinder, her head bowing slightly. "My apologies, Professor Fall."

She wasn't surprised that Mercury was not afforded an apology of his own. Nor was she surprised that Cinder made no attempt to force her to give him one. It was almost as if these creatures were on an entirely different plane than herself and Mercury. Like Cinder could suggest things to them, or teach them, but not _control_ them. They answered to a different master. The one named Salem.

"It's fine. Just do try to control yourself when you're around humans. Often times they will make jokes, even offensive ones." Her head craned to peer over at the still recovering Mercury. "And what you said was merely a joke, right, Mercury?"

The assassin nodded, agreeing with the lie. Emerald would have normally liked to see the arrogant young man put in his place, but the realization that this could have happened to her as well sucked all joy from the experience.

"Yeah," he coughed. "Just a joke."

"I see," Weiss frowned. "Well it was not a very funny one. I take my relationship with Jaune seriously."

The only joke around here was Weiss herself and her awkward, frankly frightening understanding of copulation.

"In fact," the hybrid continued. "Since beginning my physical relationship with him, I have found it easier to hold my human form. At this point I can do it with practically no effort at all. I'm not quite sure what the correlation might be, but I'm certain he has something to do with it. Perhaps being the top student in our class, he really has rubbed off on me."

Mercury might have liked to make a comment about Jaune 'rubbing off' on Weiss thanks to the context of the conversation. However, the boy was notably silent after what had just occurred.

"That's interesting," Cinder noted. "I'm pleased to hear of your progress."

"Indeed. At this point I'm certain that I will be one of the four chosen to participate in the Vytal Tournament when we make our trip to Beacon Academy."

Emerald's eyes widened. That was it! That was her way out of this mess! Beacon!

"Excuse me, ma'am?" she asked the older woman. Cinder turned to give her attention. "With Weiss here probably going to fight at Beacon, it would be a bad idea to do so while pregnant, right?"

Those calculating golden eyes seemed to be lost in thought for just the briefest of moments before returning to Emerald. A sly smile grew on her lips. "Indeed it would be." Her focus returned to the hybrid. "Weiss, I'm afraid Emerald is right. With your upcoming duties this would not be the ideal time to become pregnant. Fighting in even a controlled environment while carrying a child could result in it becoming injured or even killed."

Weiss' face erupted in surprising sorrow. "I cannot risk such a thing then!" Her hands came together once more, and fingers began to fiddle with themselves. Had she been human, Emerald could have described the action as being adorably innocent. "But... if I do not wish to become pregnant, does this mean I cannot be intimate with my mate until after the tournament?"

They may have resolved their physical dispute with the hybrid, but they weren't safe yet. There may yet be more awkwardness about sexual intercourse with the clueless girl.

Cinder glared over once more, mouthing the words 'fix this' to her. She moved to stand up, clearly intent on leaving this conversation to her subordinates as she had once before.

Weiss clearly had the same idea, as she focused entirely on Emerald. "You are a female," she stated obviously. "What preventative measures do you take when you do not wish to become pregnant?"

Emerald was mortified by the question. Especially in front of Mercury, who would gleefully tear apart whatever answer she gave once they were alone again.

She didn't have to _take_ any such measures, because she wasn't sexually active! Still, anyone with half a brain knew about contraception. Someone, and it definitely wasn't going to be herself, was going to have to fly to one of the kingdoms and pick up a whole crate of the stuff.

"Um... well there are condoms," Emerald explained.

"Oh! You mentioned those before. Are those the water tube fish?"

Cinder turned back just as she was about to exit the room. Her eyes were narrowed in questioning.

It would take a whole other explanation in itself for Cinder to understand, but Emerald remembered the conversation well. It was hard to forget madness like that.

"Yes. Only it's not a fish It's just... a piece of rubber."

This was going to be another horrible conversation. She just knew it.

* * *

"Explain yourself, harlot!"

Jaune did not like days that started like this. They usually resulted in a lot of yelling and pointless fighting. Sighing at the doors to the kitchen, he pushed them open. Ruby was quietly gnawing on a bone in the corner, Jaune sliding up next to her. In the center of the room stood Weiss and Yang, Weiss dramatically pointing at Yang.

"I don't want a Mate and I don't want to have a little crotch spawn running around." Yang crossed her arms, glaring. "Simple, no?"

"No! Difficult! Which is what you're being! Blonde beast, you should be giddy at the thought of joining our wondrous and powerful pack!" Weiss flared her hair to the side. "Look upon the gifts Jaune, our Captain, has given me! Beautiful hair, dazzling skin, and an ever firmer grasp on all things human. You do envy these things, do you not?"

"Nope." Yang said, popping the p-sound casually.

"You see? Now all you need is to agree to-! What do you mean no!"

"No. It means no. It means I don't want to."

Weiss snorted. "Clearly you're playing hardball."

Yang shrugged. "Think what you want, I don't care. I don't mind a good lay once in a while, but I don't want any of that romantic shit. I want to be free, go on adventures, and not have to worry about a dumb snot nosed little brat." Yang stopped a moment, looking over at Ruby. "No offense!"

Ruby, speaking through the bone she was salivating on, waved her sister off. "Some taken!"

Jaune poked Ruby on the shoulder. "Want me to break that?"

"You don't mind?"

"Nah. I don't get it, but if you like it, you like it."

Ruby handed Jaune the bone, dry side facing him thankfully. With a quick flare of aura, he snapped it in half.

"You're the best."

A quick peck to his cheek left him blushing, even as he tried to ignore the gut wrenching slurping noises she made sucking the marrow down. He realized they were missing more of the show, turning his attention back to Weiss and Yang.

"Jaune's superior penis, while substantially smaller than my own glorious horn," Weiss continued, Jaune burying his head in his arms. "Should be more than enough prize for even a hedonistic beast such as yourself."

"You are the wind beneath my wings, Weiss," Jaune muttered.

Somehow, inexplicably she heard him. "I will sing the praises of your above adequate equipment whenever possible, dear heart!"

Jaune buried his head deeper. Please don't let that be the nickname she settled on for him.

"Dear heart? That sounds awesome!"

Jaune glared at Ruby, the traitor.

"Ruby! You cannot call him my nickname! You must give him your own."

Ruby nodded. "Well Jaune gave me the nickname of Cookie Monster because I really like cookies...maybe I should name him Bo-!"

Jaune latched a hand over her mouth, glaring at his mate. "Cookie, I love you dearly. If you finish that sentence I will be forced to never make you any cookies ever again."

Ruby stared at him in horror as he removed his hand. "You fiend!"

"Hard choices come fast," Jaune shrugged.

"But you played with them so much!"

"Not in public!"

"We're not in public, we're with Weiss and Yang!"

"I am also here." Wesson helpfully offered.

Jaune sighed. "Hello Wesson. Feeling better?"

Wesson nodded. "Much. Most of the nerves have healed in my back and I can move some of my limbs again."

Weiss glared between the two. "I'm sorry, am I bothering you trying to secure the future of our pack?"

Wesson tilted his head, eliciting a groan from Weiss.

"You are not part of our pack, Wesson!"

Wesson sighed. "Always the bridesmaid."

Ruby turned to the hybrid. "How do you know what that means?"

Jaune stopped, looking down at Ruby. "How do _you_ know what that means?"

"Weiss told me. It means-! Hey!" Ruby stopped, recoiling as Jaune flicked her nose.

"I do not need to know anymore."

"Can I continue?" Weiss asked, tapping her foot on the ground.

Unable to stop himself, Jaune asked in return. "I don't know, can you?"

"Yes!" Weiss enthusiastically responded, turning back to the increasingly bored Yang.

"Look, it's nothing against Jaune. I just don't want to be held down. I need to be free, Weiss, that's all there is to it." Yang yawned, pushing away from the table she was sitting on top of. "I've spent most of my life taking care of Ruby. She's finally coming into her own and now I'm ready to be free. Just go ask Blake."

Jaune's head rose. "No, we don't need to do that."

Weiss nodded. "Jaune is right." He smiled, glad she was finally talking sense. "I asked her on the way over here if she would like to bed Jaune, and she enthusiastically agreed." Weiss blushed, Jaune groaning. "It was the nicest smile I have ever seen from her. She created lips and everything."

That gave him pause.

Blake, with lips?

What would that even-no, no. No. Jaune shook his head. No, that was not something he wanted to know about.

"I will put you on the maybe list, Yang. If you should ever change your mind, know that Jaune's pelvis is yours to shatter until a child is produced."

Jaune raised his hand. "Can I please have a say in this?"

Ruby glared at him. "Don't you want my sister to smash your pelvis?"

"Can we please talk about this in terms that aren't physically harmful for me?"

Ruby waved him off. "You have Aura. You'll heal."

Jaune should never have walked into this den of madness.

Yang walked past, looking Jaune up and down. "Wouldn't take much to break those hips. Maybe if he got a bit beastly he'd survive." A sly grin came to her face. "Maybe."

Ruby jumped up. "Oh yeah? Well I think Jaune can take everything you can give and more!"

Yang arched an eyebrow. "Really, little sis? Just because he could rock your five foot nothing world..."

"I'll have you know, I'm five-four! Weiss is five nothing."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, we can't hear you from down there!" Yang hollered back.

"Just for that, you're not allowed to have Jaune's children until Blake does!" Weiss shouted, indignant.

"Oh no, the horror. The misery." Yang flipped her hair to the side. "I'm heading on. We've got combat class in a few and I'm not letting Tyrian pull some stupid shit on me." Eyeing Jaune, she grinned. "Maybe he'll pair us up together. Then we'll get to see just how you'd survive me. One way or the other."

Ruby nodded. "Sounds like a date."

Jaune stared at Ruby, hurt. "Would you pick a side?"

"What sides are there?"

"Me living or me in severe pain."

Ruby smiled. "You'd be alive either way! Same sides, right Weiss?"

Weiss nodded, walking up to them. "Excellent logic, Ruby. I see my being the first mate is rubbing well off of you."

Jaune stared in horror at the two, realizing that this was their method of bonding. A heavy hand clapped him on the back.

"Good luck buddy. And don't forget about the cat." Yang laughed, starting to leave.

Jaune, against his better judgment, stopped her. "Why do you really dislike the idea of having kids so much? Not that I'm encouraging this nonsense, I'm just curious."

A dark look passed over the hybrid's face, all cheer vanishing. "Mothers cannot be trusted, or forgiven. They will only betray their families in the end, especially when they need them most." With that, Yang resumed leaving.

Jaune sighed, not sure what to do. Did Yang know about Summer in the dungeon? If she did, was she even aware that was her mother? Had Salem poisoned her mind against the poor woman, just like Ruby? Groaning, he just wanted something to eat. With Ruby and Weiss talking animatedly between each other, he knew that this was going to be a nightmare.

* * *

Yang stretched as she entered the room, ready to wait for Tryian to get this charade on the road. To her surprise, Brawnz was already waiting for her in the center of the room. He was wearing some kind of metal gauntlets on his arms, head lowered. Glaring, she walked into the ring.

"Unless you want to join your followers, I suggest you leave."

He met her glare with one of his own. "Not until I drag you down to the abyss for them to tear apart."

Yang rested a hand on her hip. "Big talk for someone who couldn't even best Cardin in a fist fight."

"I'll take my revenge today," he spat. "Count on it."

Tyrian made himself known as the rest of the students, pitifully small amount they were, filed into the stands.

"Children, children. If you must have a squabble, conduct yourselves as proper progeny of our goddess alive Salem." A twisted grin spread across his face. "Take your pound of flesh!"

The two launched themselves at the other, Yang's armored fist striking Brawnz' gauntlet. She found, to her surprise, her humanoid limb bounce off of the superior metal, Brawnz landing a clean hit in her center mass, tearing her dress and drawing blood with a blade that popped out of his knuckles.

Yang jumped back, looking down at the injury. These gauntlets of his, they were no joke. Who knew what all they hid inside. She grinned. Good. She was afraid this was going to be boring!

Throwing herself forward with her Grimm arm, Yang brandished her shotgun, firing both barrels. Brawnz took the brunt of the blasts with his new gauntlets, the metal holding fast. This gave her a clear shot at his head with a well aimed kick, knocking him back. Landing on her other foot, she brought her Grimm arm down with enough force to shatter stone.

Brawnz was already moving out of the way, holding his left hand out towards her, fingers aimed in her direction. Why would he even bother? Suddenly she found fire erupting from his mechanical fingertips, high powered dust rounds whizzing at her body.

With a scream she brought her monstrous limb up to block most of the shots, wincing as a few got through and bit into soft grey flesh. Leaping after him, she was unprepared as he rolled out of the way, bringing his other arm up behind her. Yang could not turn fast enough when the two hooks fired off from the left gauntlet, tearing into her flesh. Staring at the cables connecting him to her, Yang didn't have long to wonder what his game was when the crippling flow of electricity tore at her.

Leg spasming under the intensity of the electric shocks, Yang was unable to protect herself as he leveled the right gauntlet at her. He wasn't giving her any time to think or react, she realized, as shot after shot riddled her body. He truly was trying to kill her.

Grinning a blood stained smile, Yang gripped the cables connecting them. Good. She would have felt bad otherwise. Maybe.

Pulling as hard as she could, clearly surprising Brawnz, she smashed him with all of her strength with her Grimm arm. Instinctually he tried to block the attack with his right, free gauntlet. Grimm flesh met huntsmen level steel, Yang feeling her natural strength failing against the craftsmanship expected to protect their most hated of foes. With a snarl, Yang pushed through, her Grimm arm tearing itself apart as she smashed the gauntlet apart.

Brawnz was sent flying, the hooks in her side torn free. Yang's monstrous arm collapsed to the ground, too wounded to raise. It would need time to heal, she knew. She also knew that much force was more than enough to crush Brawnz' damned weapon. Something she was proven right about as she dragged her oversized limb behind her, Brawnz' arm nearly torn from his body from the punch.

"This was your secret weapon? Really? Who gave you this idea, that waste of space May?" Yang spat at the ground. She was half tempted to let him live.

Brawnz stared at her with a hatred she wasn't sure she ever felt herself. "These gauntlets have something from all of my underlings. But," he hacked up some blood, spitting it at her feet, "You know which one I like the most?"

Yang leveled her shotgun at his head. "I don't think it really matters."

"Roy thought it would."

Yang didn't have a chance to think about what he was saying when she felt it. They moved too fast to see, but unlike the dust rounds they were far more devastating. Looking down in confusion, her intestines beginning to spill from the near invisible line cut across her taut stomach, she looked at Brawnz. Two bronze razor discs, coated in her blood, returned to the left gauntlet.

Yang dropped to one knee, unable to hold onto her shotgun. Her Grimm arm was still mangled, and she couldn't heal this kind of damage, not like this. Grasping the wound with her hand weakly, she could barely keep the darkness from consuming her vision. She thought she heard someone call her name, but wasn't sure if she was merely imagining it.

Brawnz dragged himself to his feet, gloating down at her. "They're waiting for you, waiting to feast on your flesh for a thousand years. When I die, I hope to find them dining on your fucking bones."

"I hope they choke on them," Yang muttered, a powerful anger filling her. She possessed so few options now, her body shaking. "Just like you will."

Brawnz didn't get a chance to question her statement when she surged up at him, wrapping her blood-soaked organs around his throat. Twisting around him, Yang moved out of his reach, shouting in crazed fury as she used the only weapon left to her to put Brawnz down.

Only when she felt the crunch of his neck and his body go limp, did she allow herself to fall away from him. Her Grimm arm, barely functioning, groped at her grievous wound, trying to desperately return the intestines where they belonged. Coughing with grim laughter, she knew it was pointless.

Only a miracle could save her now. Miracles didn't belong to girls like her. Miracles didn't happen to girls like her.

Girls like her were abandoned, left to die. Girls like her were given up on before they could even speak, left to a shiftless woman who chose to die rather than raise her supposedly beloved daughter and a man too fragile to survive the loss she forced them to endure. Girls like her should only ever hope to die as she was, taking the life of the twisted thing that managed to kill her in turn. There were worse ways to die, she reasoned.

That didn't stop it from hurting so much. From being so cold.

Tears, hot and heavy, came to the blood red eyes of Yang. She didn't want to die now.

She wanted to explore the world, to see with her own eyes the evil of man. To crush those she judged inferior and to live a life free of responsibility and regret. Quiet sobbing overtook her, her one solace at the end was that Ruby, at least, would be protected.

She knew in her heart that Jaune would be better for Ruby than anything that ever claimed to love Yang.

Suddenly, a burning light enveloped her. A power surged through her that she never felt before, like a spark deep within was ignited. Lilac eyes opened, sound rushing back to her ears. Sounds of a crying sister, of a worried friend, and the mysterious chanting of Jaune.

Yellow energy enveloping her, lilac eyes met deep blue.

"You did it, Jaune!"

Lilac eyes that split, the inhuman fury of the Grimm within Yang raging against the power of humanity that now forcibly surged through her. From two eyes came four, burning bright red, and from the mouth of Yang came the fury of a child abandoned to a world of monsters.

Forcing herself to her feet with the help of extra arms, hair twisting and burning all around her, Yang shrieked loud enough to blow away those surrounding her. Shrieked loud enough to shatter the stone work of the arena and give even Tyrian pause.

Wounds burning away with the might of the Aura forced upon her, Yang would do what she always did.

She would fight!

* * *

Ruby watched the scene below her with growing horror. How was this possible? No one had ever given her sister this tough of a fight. Not even Cardin had been so difficult the first time they fought each other , and that boy had been a tank! Then again, back then Cardin hadn't hated her the way Brawnz did. Brawnz had seen Yang kill his friends in front of him, and was helpless to stop it.

Hate was indeed a powerful motivator. Hate was how Salem was going to change the world.

Yet, Jaune had taught her about love. Both emotional and physical love. Knowing what she knew now, she would choose love over hate every time. She knew that she was probably alone in that choice among the students here. Was it simply because she was different from the rest of the hybrids? Or was love the better way?

If it was the better way, then what did that mean for Salem? What did it mean for her plans?

Most importantly, what did it mean for Ruby's loyalty to Salem and her plans?

Before she could continue down that line of thinking, a terrifying scream filled her ears. Silver eyes were drawn once more to the arena before, and the horror she had felt before increased a hundredfold.

A pair of circular blades had just eviscerated Yang. The blood that was pouring from her jagged wound would be the least of her concerns.

The redhead stood up, eyes locked onto the scene below.

"Yang!" she cried out.

Her sister gave no notice to her shouting. Instead she focused on her opponent. If Yang was going down, she was determined to take the boy with her. And she would indeed go down. Even from this distance Ruby could see that the wound was a mortal one. She wouldn't last more than a couple minutes more, even with her enhanced Grimm biology.

A glance to her left showed Jaune gripping the rail in front of him. Even he could see the writing on the wall.

She grabbed hold of one of his wrists and began to pull him behind her. "Come on! Let's go!"

He didn't need to be told twice. Jaune followed after her, and likely would have been moving faster himself if her own shorter legs weren't restricting her speed.

Normally outside participants were barred from entering the arena during a match, but right now Ruby didn't care. Tyrian and his punishments meant nothing to the girl as she rushed down to reach her dying sister. They had only one shot at this. She didn't even know if it would work, but after what Jaune had shown her in the kitchen the other day, it was their last and best hope.

Stepping into the combat zone, their professor made no move to bar their entrance. Perhaps it was because the fight was already as good as over. Brawnz was dead, strangled to death as a result of the very wound he had inflicted. Yet that wound was also the reason Yang lay motionless on the ground.

Ruby rushed up to her sister, falling on her knees and placing her hands over the blonde's ruined stomach. "Yang! Yang! Please don't go!"

Red eyes stared up at the ceiling. They moved and blinked, yet made no indication they knew she was there."

Liquid began to well in her own mirrored eyes. "Yang!" she cried once more. "I need you, Yang! Please!"

Yang's own eyes were wet with clear liquid as well. Her mouth moved with trembling gasps. Was she trying to speak? Or were these her last dying gasps for air?

Blood-soaked hands moved to grab Jaune, who had knelt down beside the fallen girl as well. "Jaune! Do the light thing!"

He looked at her quizzically. "The light thing?"

She snarled with barely-contained fury. Now was not the time for a misunderstanding or a lack of proper phrasing. "The Aura thing!" she clarified. "Like what you did to me!"

"I- I don't know how I did it to you though!" he panicked. "It was an accident!"

Not what she wanted to hear. Not what she needed to hear. Growing anger was threatening to consume her. A strange, unfamiliar heat inside of her was growing by the second. She was losing her grip on rational thinking. Her eyes burned intensely as the liquid continued to stream down her cheeks.

"Just do something!" she screamed.

Jaune visibly flinched away from her, but right now she didn't care. She needed him to do something. To give her Aura like he had given her. That would heal Yang. It healed his wounds, after all. It healed her own too. It was her only way out.

The boy placed his hands on Yang, which began to glow with a brilliant white light. Yet... nothing. The gash did not seal itself. The blood did not clot. Yang was not recovering.

"It's not working..." he whispered. "She doesn't have Aura. There's nothing for me to amplify."

Jaune's hands stopped glowing. He had given up on Yang. She couldn't believe it. Ruby's breathing came out in ragged gasps now. Her sister, her beloved sister, was going to die.

Just as she felt her mind beginning to slip away, the boy next to her spoke once more. "Focus on the pain," he whispered down into Yang's ear. "With that, transformation comes tempered by flame. When your flesh fails, let that fire devour you from within."

A brilliant shimmering gold had begun to glow around Yang's entire body. Its light burned like the sun she had seen once upon a time. Ruby wanted to see that sun again. She wanted to see it with Yang by her side.

"May then your soul prevail, free to roam again."

Jaune collapsed, falling down onto his hands and knees as his lungs desperately sucked in oxygen. She had no idea what he had just done or what the words he said meant, but they had clearly had some sort of affect on him.

Just as they had on Yang.

The horrific wound Yang had stuffed her organs back into began to seal itself. Right before her very eyes, the injury was being purged from her very flesh. The bleeding stopped. After a few seconds the blonde girl's breathing evened out. It was incredible. Jaune was incredible. He had done it. He had saved her sister.

The rage in Ruby's mind evaporated.

Her red hands wrapped around his body, squeezing him tight. "You did it, Jaune!"

A chuckle, one of relief as much as happiness, sounded on his lips. "I did..." he said wearily. "I can't believe those words actually worked..."

She didn't know what those words were, but Jaune had clearly heard them before. They had some meaning to him. Ruby was thankful for that, because without them her sister would be dead.

Her arms left Jaune and moved to tend to her sister. Scooping up the blonde's head with one hand, another came to rest on her stomach where the once fatal blow had been struck. A happy smile curled on her lips as wet eyes peered down at the older girl in her arms. "Yang. Yang can you hear me? You're okay. You're okay!"

Another presence knelt beside her. To Ruby's shock, Weiss was down there with her, sullying her own pale flesh with the blood that splattered the floor.

"Weiss?" she asked with genuine surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Ensuring that my mate is safe," the other hybrid answered matter-of-factly. A small frown crept on her lips, and her eyes broke away from Ruby's. "Though if your sister is okay, I suppose there's no harm in that as well."

Her already wide grin grew impossibly larger. That was the closest she was going to get from Weiss admitting that she cared. Ruby realized it wasn't only herself who had grown as a person thanks to Jaune's influence. Weiss had as well.

"Come on, let's get her up," the white-haired hybrid continued.

Slowly but surely, each girl took and arm and helped Yang get back to her feet. The steps were wobbly at first as Yang sought to find purchase on the slick floor. Soon enough, however, she was standing once more. Tall and proud. Victorious. Just as she always was. Yang had never lost before, and she wasn't about to start losing now. Not when her friends and family were around to help.

Those friends and family were tossed aside like ragdolls as Yang shrieked in fury.

Ruby was sent tumbling several feet away, her body aching as it hit the stone floor. It took a few seconds to blink away the pain, and when she finally stood up and looked back at Yang, she saw a sight which gave her pause.

Eyes glowed, shifting between red and lilac, sometimes swirling in a mixture of both. Golden blonde hair burned with what appeared to be very real fire. Yang's head moved on a swivel, turning left and right in search of something. Something Ruby knew was the most fundamental thing in Yang's core.

A fight.

She would get no fight today, however. Not against those who loved her.

The redheaded girl moved swiftly, changing back into her hybrid form so that she could use her trump card on her sister. For the first time ever she would use the power that Salem had granted her on her own flesh and blood.

Dodging an incoming punch from the girl, Ruby used her smaller size and superior speed to move underneath and behind Yang's arm. Clamping down on an arm with her Apathy hand, Ruby began to subdue her sister.

"Shh, it's okay," she whispered calmingly into Yang's ear. "Relax. Just relax."

The effects were immediate, and the tension in Yang's body began to subside. Resistance waned. Anger calmed. It was working. All she had to do was force her sister to relax, and then they could start over from square-

Her hand was knocked aside with a sudden strike. But it wasn't from Yang. It was from a girl who hadn't even appeared to be next to them only a moment earlier.

Blake was beside them, a tentacle taking hold of Ruby's Apathy arm and preventing it from reaching Yang. "Not like this," the girl hissed.

"W-what?" Ruby asked, struggling to break free from the older hybrid's grip.

"If you want to save your sister, she cannot be subdued. She must endure."

She had no idea what Blake was talking about. "But she's not herself! She'll fight us all if we don't stop her!"

"She needs to find her balance," Blake answered. "She needs her humanity. Otherwise she will be lost..."

Lost.

Red eyes widened in realization. She thought back to Professor Rainart's class when Blake had flared up her own Aura. She remembered the monster which had been unleashed.

A monster. Like what Yang was right now.

Yang had to find her humanity. It was the only way to stop her from losing her mind like Blake.

What was it her mind had been arguing before? Something about which side she would choose? About where her loyalties lay?

About choosing love or hate?

Love.

Love was the answer. Love was human. Love would save her sister.

Ruby nodded in understanding, and Blake released her grip on the girl. Turning back to her thrashing sister, she saw how Jaune and Weiss were doing all they could to stop her mindless rampage. They couldn't stop the blonde girl. Not in the way that she needed to be stopped.

Only she could do it. Only family could do it.

Ruby run as fast as she could, throwing her arms around her sister's back and nearly tackling her to the floor. Yang struggled and shook, trying to dislodge the intruder from her body, but Ruby's grip was absolute. Her arms tightened around Yang's chest, and she pulled herself up so that her lips could reach her sister's ear.

"I love you."

The struggling slowed.

"I love you," she repeated."

The thrashing lessened.

"I love you, Yang. I love you. I love you."

The blonde's head shook, yet she made no efforts to remove the source of the offending words.

"You're my sister, Yang," Ruby spoke calmly into her ear. "I love you."

She heard pained gasps from in front of her. Yang's back heaved.

"I love you, Yang. I love you."

The blonde's knees buckled and she collapsed down onto them. Ruby's grip around her torso strengthened, and she fell with her.

"I love you. I love you. I'll always love you."

Yang fell forward on her hands now as well. More painful sounds slipped through her lips.

Ruby took the opportunity to release her grip on Yang and come around to kneel next to her. Clear liquid was streaming from her eyes, dripping from her cheeks and nose. Before long they might start to puddle on the ground as thick as her blood had.

The redhead placed a hand on Yang's back, rubbing soft circles around it. "I love you, Yang."

Harsh breaths slipped through Yang's lips. Her eyes squeezed shut, but it did nothing to stop them from dripping.

"I love you, Yang. I won't ever leave you. I love you."

Her sister's mouth moved. It was silence for the first few tries, but finally a word came through. "Ruby..."

A pair of arms came to wrap around the older girl's torso. Ruby held her tightly again when she spoke the words once more. "I love you, Yang."

She could feel her sister's shuddering breaths as she held onto her. Red eyes closed, burying themselves into Yang's shoulder.

"I love you, Ruby..."

She couldn't ever recall hearing those words before this moment. She always _knew_ Yang cared for her, but she had never expressed it so overtly.

Ruby smiled, knowing that everything was going to be okay.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Here we go again! Luring you in with sweet comedy, followed by vicious violence and finishing it off with heartfelt emotion. Whiplash, the fan fic.

Sorry for the delay in posting this latest chapter. But hey, in the meantime I have posted other things! **Red Like Roses? Gross!** got a new chapter posted.

Also, I did just post a brand new **Silent Knight** one shot earlier today called: **The Hunts-Man's Leg-acy**. So if you're into that sort of thing, maybe you should check it out!

As always my deepest thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for all their hard work and support. And to the entire Work in Progress Discord server. That place is an invaluable melting pot of ideas, and if you're a fan of RWBY, fan fiction, or just want to be part of the community, send me a PM and I'll give you an invite.

But enough of all that self-promoting stuff! I want to thank all of you for reading and continuing to support this story. Your feedback truly means the world to me.

I hope you enjoyed it.


	20. Chapter 20

Ruby stood in the hallway, but luckily she was not alone. No, she would never be alone again. Not since he had arrived at this school.

Jaune was next to her by her own request. It wasn't that the thought of speaking to her sister alone made her uncomfortable. It wasn't awkward. No, she merely did not know how to speak to Yang about what had happened the other day in Professor Callows' class. She did not understand the intricacies of Aura and humanity. She didn't know how to explain to her sister what she was experiencing right now.

When Ruby's own Aura had unlocked during a night of passion with her mate, she hadn't even noticed. Why? She could not say. All she knew was that she did not have a meltdown like Yang had. She did not react in the same way as Blake when she flared her own Aura. As such, she could not help the older girl in grappling with what she had gone through, and likely what she was still going through. She could not help Yang come to grips with the human side of herself.

But Jaune could.

Unbeknownst to Yang, and everyone else in the school other than Blake, Jaune was human. Jaune would understand. Jaune would be able to guide the girl through the treacherous waters of human emotions. And he would do it all under the guise of being the prodigy student who was better than them all.

Ruby smiled. What a neat little trick. What a resourceful boy he was to survive in this school as long as he had. Until she had fallen in love with him. If she had found out he was human before he had rooted himself in her heart, she couldn't say that he would still be alive this day.

She reached over and grabbed his hand with her own. Looking over and up at him, she smiled as she gave it a squeeze. He responded in kind, and the warm smile on his lips made her stomach feel like it was doing flips inside her belly. Humanity truly was such a wonderful, amazing thing. To love was human. It amazed her that she had been so blissfully unaware of things like it for her entire life. She was so happy that was no longer the case.

"You think you're ready to talk to her?" the boy asked softly.

Ruby hesitated, but wound up nodding. "Yeah. I think so."

Jaune raised a hand and held his knuckles next to the door. "You're sure?"

She stared at the hand that was only inches away from the door for several seconds. Hesitation took hold of her once more. It was a fortunate thing that it did, otherwise she wouldn't have thought of a last-minute decision.

"Wait!" she said suddenly, shaking her arm so that he would release his hold on her hand. "Be right back!"

Ruby dashed away back to her own room, and inside found the sleeping form of Zwei on his dog bed. Bending down, she saw that the tiny corgi had woken up, lifting his head and staring up at her with loving gray eyes.

"Sorry to wake you up, boy," she whispered, reaching down and scooping the tiny dog up in her arms. "But we have a job to do."

Zwei didn't struggle as he lazily laid in Ruby's cradling arms. He was so soft and fluffy. So warm and huggable. And that was exactly the point. He was a weapon in the most unlikely form. A catalyst to reach the humanity deep down in Yang's heart without the girl even knowing it.

Coming back out into the hall, Jaune was giving her a curious look. Ruby merely shrugged with a sheepish smile on her lips. He would watch and learn. Jaune wasn't the only one who could be clever and crafty.

"Okay," she said as she returned to his side. "Ready."

He nodded, and knocked on the door. Hopefully Yang wasn't sleeping. It was hard to believe that she would be at this time of day, but then again it had been over a day since they had last even seen her. Who knew what she had been doing in all that time, or how it was affecting her sleep cycle?

Seconds passed, but Ruby was given hope when she heard the shuffling of feet on the other side of the door. It opened soon after, and she was greeted with the familiar sight of her sister. A pair of red eyes and horns along with a massive arm stood opposite of her and Jaune.

"Ruby," she greeted neutrally. Not a good sign.

"Hey, Yang," she replied meekly. Saddened by the reaction she had received from the sister she loved so dearly. "Um... mind if we come in?"

Yang looked at her. Then to Jaune. Finally to Zwei before those glowing crimson eyes settled over her sister again. Her lip twitched, but in the end she relented. "Yeah. Sure."

The blonde moved back, turning around and walking toward her bed. She sat there, leaving enough room for just one person to sit next to her Grimm appendage.

Without a word Ruby followed and sat next to her. There they were, sitting side by side, and not saying a word. Emotions were so hard when there wasn't a human to take the lead. Ruby barely understood them herself. How was she supposed to talk to Yang about them?

Jaune must have recognized this, and was the first to speak. "How are you doing, Yang?"

Silver eyes focused on the girl next to her. Yang wouldn't look at either of them though. Her own gaze as focused on the floor. "I don't know."

Ruby frowned. But still, that was better than bad... right?

"Are you mad?"

That question prompted Yang's head to snap up, and she focused on Jaune this time. "What?"

"Are you mad at me?" he repeated. "For... unlocking your Aura?"

Ruby couldn't imagine that she would be angry. It had saved her life. _He_ had saved her life. If not for her Aura, Yang would have bled out on the arena floor like so many others before her had. She would have met the same fate as she had dished out to so many other hybrids. The only difference between her and those who were dead was that Yang had a human on her side. A human who had cared enough to save her life.

Love truly was the right way in the world. Jaune's actions the other day had merely reinforced that point.

"It's different," Yang replied. Ruby silently noted how she hadn't answered the question. "I feel different. It's hard to explain, but things are different now."

It must have been difficult to explain if all she could say about it was how different it was. Ruby felt the need to press about what was different and why, but even she knew that she had to let Yang move at her own pace. Not everyone could go through a smooth and seamless transition like she had. Not every hybrid was equipped to deal with their innate humanity like she was.

Again, she was thankful that Jaune took the lead in the questioning. His natural humanity would lead him to asking the right questions. He would be more aware of where lines were and to not step over them.

"Is different better or worse?"

That really was the crux of it all. Would Yang find humanity to her liking? Or would she reject it, wishing to go back to her natural hybrid state?

"I feel more human," Yang said with a frown. Ruby bit into her lip at the sight of that. "I feel weaker. I don't like it. I remember things, and I don't know how to deal with those memories if I can't hate them. If I can't hate her..."

Ruby frowned in confusion. Her? Who was Yang talking about?

Peering down at the monstrous hand next to her, she saw how Yang began to flex her fingers. How she balled it up into a fist before letting go. The arm was a physical embodiment of her strength. Her primary weapon in the arena. It only made sense that she would cling to it to be reminded of her strength.

Since meeting Jaune, Ruby had began wearing her human guise more and more. Weiss had as well. It seemed like the closer they got to him, the more human they became, the easier it was to maintain. Jaune had even told her that the night they mated, Ruby had shifted into her human form without even realizing it. Like it was just second nature to her now. She could do it without even thinking about it. Just as they were supposed to on missions in the human kingdoms.

She wondered if that was why Yang was in that form right now, despite being one of the more proficient students in the academy. There was only one way to find out.

"Is that why you're in your Grimm form?" she asked the girl beside her.

Yang turned to look her sister in the eye. The frown was still on her lips. She nodded. "Yeah. At least when I'm like this, I know what I am when I look into the mirror. And this," she said, holding up her massive arm. "Isn't protected by Aura. Not sure why. But... it feels strong. It feels like my old self."

Ruby remembered her old self. It was a person she never wanted to go back to. A being who existed only to destroy. Just like Weiss. And Blake. And Yang. And all the others. Their lives had no meaning other than to bring destruction to others. Whether it was humanity, other hybrids, or even the creatures of Grimm themselves during their training, she had no other purpose in life.

Now, however, Ruby had discovered the positive things in life. She had discovered things like friendship. Compassion. Hope. She had discovered love. Yang could too, if she would only let it in. If she would stop clinging to the past, and accept a better future.

With that in mind, she took the weaponized corgi in her arms and held it out to the girl next to her. Yang gave Zwei a curious look before glancing back up at Ruby. "What's this?"

Ruby giggled. "A dog, silly."

"I know what a dog is. But why are you giving it to me?"

"Hold him," she said simply.

Yang frowned again. "Hold him?"

"Hold him."

The blonde girl seemed uncertain, but not repulsed by the thought of it. Glancing back and forth between her arms, Yang ultimate lifted her left, human arm, and outstretched it to receive the furry package of cuteness.

Ruby gently laid the ball of fluff into her sister's arm, and Zwei seemed blissfully ignorant that he was being held by a Grimm hybrid who loved nothing more than fighting and killing her peers. The glowing red eyes of Yang stared down at him, and for a moment her fingers twitched, almost like they felt inclined to stroke the soft fur of the dog that rested in her lap.

All she needed was a little encouragement. "Pet him," Ruby all but ordered.

Those hesitant fingers of her sister finally gave in, and they met the black and white fur of the corgi. It started off with a few tentative brushes, but after a few seconds Ruby saw how Yang was petting the dog just as she herself would. As a human like Jaune would. The frown slipped off Yang's lips, and for a moment it looked as if a smile was threatening to overtake her face.

"He's a good boy, isn't he?"

The blonde's lip flinched. _Yes, yes. Give into the love, Yang. Let the humanity flow through you!_

"I guess..." she admitted.

"Say he's a good boy."

Yang's jaw clenched. When it did Ruby saw how the hints of a smile were beginning to curl up on her lips. No one, not even Yang, could resist the sheer adorableness of a tiny, lovable dog.

"You're a good boy," she said softly.

"You're a good boy, Zwei," Ruby encouraged.

"You're a good boy, Zwei."

Ruby spared a look over at Jaune, still standing off to the side near the door. He too was smiling, and it was infectious. Ruby's eyes met his, and she grinned hard at how Yang was acting. How she was allowing her humanity to grow without even realizing it.

Slipping an arm around her sister's shoulders, Ruby pulled herself close to rest her head on Yang's huge Grimm shoulder. Love was the right way. Love had stabilized the girl when her Aura had first been unlocked. Love would guide her on the right path here and now.

To her relief and hope, her sister didn't push her away.

"Yang?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

A few seconds of silence passed before she responded. "Sure, Ruby."

"Can you do your human form?"

Ruby felt her sister's body stiffen. More hesitation. Had she pushed too far too fast? Had she gotten a bit overzealous? Had Yang's response to Zwei made her too confident?

"No."

The redhead came back up to look at Yang. The frown had returned to her lips.

"Oh."

Yang shook her head. "I don't feel like it. That's all."

Because it made her feel weak. Those were the words she had left out.

Ruby saw how Yang lifted Zwei from her lap, passing the dog back over to her. Ruby accepted him gently in both arms. Zwei didn't seem to mind being passed from person to person, but for Ruby there was a deeper meaning. Yang had just rejected the human side of herself, even if she didn't realize it herself.

"I think I'm gonna go do some training," Yang said as she stood up. "Blow off some steam."

Ruby joined her, taking a step back over toward Jaune. "Yeah. Sounds good."

"Thanks for checking up on me, but I'm fine."

Ruby knew that wasn't the case. However she wasn't about to press the issue. Pressing is what made her reject Zwei, and her humanity, just now.

"You're coming to the dance though, right?" Ruby asked hopefully.

Tonight was the big night. A dry run for a social event that they would be participating in once they got to Vale. Ruby didn't know what to expect, but she was excited nonetheless. It was also mandatory, so she would expect Yang to be there. However, after everything that had happened, with how Yang was feeling right now, it wouldn't have surprised her if she blew the event off completely.

Yang pushed past both her and Jaune to the door. Opening it up, she stepped out into the hall. "Maybe. See you guys around."

The hybrid strode down the hall, not looking back at her sister and her friend as she went off to kill something. Or someone. Probably just expendable Grimm, but with Yang you never knew. Maybe she'd find Wesson and decide to tear every little Death Stalker limb off one by one.

An arm came to rest around Ruby's shoulders, pulling her close just as she had done to Yang. The girl melted into the larger arms of her mate, and Jaune placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"It's okay," he whispered gently. "We'll help her."

Ruby nodded wordlessly, her head coming to rest against his chest. She hoped so. She hoped with all her heart that Yang would find the same kind of happiness that she had.

* * *

A dance. A school dance. In a place like this. What a ridiculous concept.

It was just as awkward as he would have expected.

Jaune may have had an abundance of experience in dancing, but he did not have that same experience in _dances_. There was a stark contrast in practicing at home with seven sisters and attending formal social events. The last time he had been to a dance was earlier in his academic career. He must have been only twelve years old, standing around at the school dance with all his other friends and classmates. The room had been darkened except for the flashy lights above in order to set the mood. The latest in popular music was blaring from the overhead speakers. Children stood awkwardly on the sidelines, none brave enough to take the first step on the dance floor to become the center of attention.

Somehow, someway, this exact moment mirrored that distant memory.

Standing by the comically stereotypical punch bowl, Jaune looked out to an empty dance floor. Even if those attending had been brave enough to move onto it to show their moves, there would have been pitifully few bodies anyway. What had been a much larger class at the beginning of the year had shrunk down to almost nothing.

On either side of him were Ruby and Weiss, each holding a cup of punch, and neither drinking it. If he had to guess, it just wasn't bloody enough for their tastes. With their free hands they linked their arms around his, neither one wanting to venture too far from his side. If he had to guess, it was some sort of competition between the two that only they understood. Maybe whoever stepped away first forfeited their 'claim' on him, or at the very least weakened their position. It was going to be an awkward night of dancing if he had to do it at the same time with two girls.

If they ever even got around to dancing in the first place.

Blake lurked... somewhere. Blakeing around as she always did. He couldn't see her. He never could until it was too late. But she was here. Watching. Waiting. Like a spider waiting for the moment the fly enters her web. She would have her meal tonight. Jaune expected it.

Of Yang there was no sign. It wasn't surprising either, after what had gone on earlier in the day. Nonetheless, it was still disheartening.

A handful of others rounded out the attendees. Wesson stood in his finest trench coat, hands stuffed into his pockets and collar flipped high for the maximum coverage of his flesh. The two new human arrivals Emerald and Mercury stood far away from the gathered hybrids, standing next to Cinder who acted as the chaperone. It would be an easy job for the woman if things continued as they were. If no one wanted to dance.

So much for practicing for life in the kingdoms.

After a while he felt a tug on his shirt, and looked over to see Ruby peering up at him. There was a slight frown on her lips before she spoke. "What's even the point of this dance?" she asked. "Dancing is stupid. Who wants to do that when we could be fighting things instead? That's way more fun, and I wouldn't have to wear this stupid thing."

In lieu of her usual tattered black dress, tonight Ruby wore a gorgeous sleeveless red number for the occasion. Where the bust line of the dress ended, translucent mesh extended up to a black band around her neck. A black sash around her waist almost made her look like a gift wrapped with a bow, but it was adorable nonetheless. Red high heeled shoes finished off the ensemble, and already more than once did she stumble and nearly fall before clinging on to his arm for support.

Maybe that was her innocent reason for hanging onto him.

Jaune smiled. "I guess you and Yang really are sisters. Always looking for a fight."

His comment was met by a glare and a pout from the young redhead. "Hey, I can appreciate more than just fighting! Mating with you is _way_ more fun than any stupid fight!"

The boy's face burned with embarrassment. That was... quite a compliment. And one that thankfully was made in the comfort of this academy rather than out at a human dance. If Ruby were to say that in a crowd full of people...

"The reason, Ruby," the girl on the other side of him began. Jaune turned the other way to see Weiss looking past him to their friend. "Is that dancing is an integral part of human courtship. As such, this human-style event is practice for the mingling and dancing we will be expected to perform once we arrive in Vale."

Weiss nailed it right on the head. There was only one flaw in her explanation. Even she wasn't dancing.

Her own gown was remarkably similar to Ruby's. He assumed that whoever went out and purchased the attire for the girls must not have put much thought into them. Where Ruby's was red, Weiss' was white. It had a similar mesh above her own bust, but lacked in the black waist wrapping. In its place were large slits on either side of her waist where bare flesh was visible. Slits where a partner might place their hands on tantalizingly soft flesh.

"Oooh," Ruby said thoughtfully. A hand briefly came up to her chin as she rubbed it softly. Silver eyes came up to once more look into his own. "I can ask Jaune to dance with me!"

"Excuse me?" came the accusatory tone of Weiss. " _I'm_ going to ask him."

Silver eyes met icy blue, and glares were exchanged. Glares hard and sharp enough that they might as well have been daggers.

Being fought over by two girls at a school dance. That was a new one. Middle schooler Jaune would have never dreamed of such a thing happening to him in his lifetime. Even if said girls were Grimm hybrids.

"We can both dance with him," Ruby decided, easing the tension between her and Weiss. For all of two seconds. "But I'm going to dance with him first."

Weiss took a step forward, pivoting on a heel while retaining her hold on Jaune's arm with a hand. "And why exactly does that honor fall upon you?"

Ruby moved in a similar fashion, and both girls now stood a couple of feet in front of him, facing each other while still holding onto the boy they now fought over. "Because I saw him first," she responded childishly.

It was technically true. Jaune had indeed met Ruby before anyone in this school. She was his first friend. His first roommate. His first cuddle buddy. But not his first...

"Well I mated with him first!" Weiss shot back.

There it was.

An argument which didn't seem to faze Ruby. "Well I was his first kiss!"

That... that one wasn't so true.

"Actually," a third voice purred from behind. A voice that left a hot breath on the back of his neck. "I believe that distinction belongs to me."

Jaune whipped around in surprise, and in doing so tore the grasps of both Ruby and Weiss from his arms. Standing behind him was a girl he had seen only a couple times before in the past several months. A girl he knew existed, but rarely made an appearance.

Blake, the twisted tentacle monster who haunted the underside of his bed, was entirely human. Well, not so much human. Faunus. She was remarkably, and beautifully, one hundred percent faunus.

A longer and slimmer black dress hung down to just above her knees. A long slit in the side of the dress emphasized completely normal looking legs, not marred at all by twisting black veins. Like both Ruby and Weiss, her chest and collarbone were covered in mesh, as were her shoulders. A pair of cat ears stuck out from long, smooth black hair. Only her piercing golden eyes gave the dark beauty color to contrast her attire.

"Blake..." he breathed, taken aback by just how amazing she appeared. How normal. How utterly unlike the monster she portrayed herself as.

"Wait a minute!" Ruby squawked. "What do you mean it belongs to you?"

"Well you see," the faunus said, moving close to Jaune before taking his hands in hers. "I had the pleasure of being Jaune's first kiss long before either of you. It was an unforgettable experience," she continued. Her eyes shifted to gaze up into his own. "Your fear as I stuck my tongue down your throat was intoxicating..."

He remembered the incident all too well. Waking up wrapped in the tentacles of Blake before she forcibly made out with him was something difficult to forget.

Ruby's arm shot out and she pointed accusingly. "Liar!"

Blake cackled softly, and her arms moved to wrap around Jaune's waist, pulling herself up closer to breathe into his ear. "Tell them I'm lying," she whispered. "Or tell them the truth. Either way, I was your first..."

Jaune swallowed hard. There was no point in lying, was there? After all, even if Ruby hadn't been his first kiss, they shared a relationship which far exceeded what he had with Blake. That wasn't hard anyway, considering it was entirely one-sided. Romantically at least. Honestly he wasn't sure if Blake even was interested in him sexually. The only thing she seemed interested in was his fear.

"Ruby. It's, um, complicated..."

Pint-sized anger filled the redhead's face. "Oh no you don't. You bring your face over here so I can kiss you this instant!"

Before she could lunge and practically devour his lips with hers, Blake pulled him away with one fluid tug on his arm, and led them both out onto the dance floor. A sly grin was on the face of the faunus, knowing that she had just beaten both Ruby and Weiss to the punch.

Arms shifted so that one came to wrap around his back, while her other hand grasped his. Blake apparently knew how to dance. Then again, he had heard rumors that she was the newest, and so-called 'youngest' hybrid. She had been a regular faunus girl not too long ago. It struck him as ironic that the one who had been a monster for the least amount of time was in fact the most monstrous of the girls.

Jaune moved one of his own hands to take Blake by the waist, and the girl leaned in closer to him. "Nervous, Jaune?"

Yes. "No."

She hissed a soft laugh. "Yes you are. I can smell it on you."

Well, so much for that. It was worth a shot.

"You need not fear. All I want is a simple dance. To be the first to enjoy such a treat with you."

Blue eyes shifted back over to the sidelines where Ruby and Weiss stood. Both were glaring hatefully at the faunus girl who had stolen what they each believed was rightfully theirs. Still, there was no reason that they shouldn't enjoy themselves, right? There was no reason they shouldn't gain valuable experience from this.

"Ruby, Weiss," he called out to them. He motioned with his head for them to come out on the dance floor. "Why don't you two dance until I'm done with Blake?"

Both girls looked at one another before back to him. Weiss predictably spoke first. "Dance? With _her_?"

Jaune shrugged, and the slight movement made Blake dig her fingers into him deeper. Like she thought he was trying to escape.

"It'll be fun. Just a friendly dance. You two need practice for Vale, remember?"

The words seemed to resonate with Weiss more than Ruby. The proud girl wanted to be the best, after all. "Fine," she conceded before turning to the redhead. "But _I_ am taking the lead."

"Wait I didn't agree to t-"

It was too late, as Weiss grabbed hold of Ruby and did her best to mimic the position that Jaune and Blake were in. As the two moved and swayed to the music, Jaune could hear the faint sounds of squabbling between the girls as Weiss did her best to force Ruby to move to the tempo that she had decided. It resulted in a lot of grunting and toes getting stepped on. It was less like they were dancing, and more like they were fighting. Struggling. Each jockeying to be the dominant one on the dance floor.

Another soft, almost silent laugher slipped through Blake's nose as she shook her head. "Your mates are amusing."

They were. In a weird, twisted way. They were so awkward, yet so pure. He loved both Ruby and Weiss dearly. Each in their own special way. Each had carved a distinct place in his heart. How had that even happened?

"Wouldn't have it any other way," he confessed.

"You love them. Do you not?"

Without question. "Of course."

"Love is a strange and fickle thing. You think you know someone, but it turns out you don't. Do you know them, Jaune?"

It was a strange question to ask. But again, he knew the answer without a doubt. "Yeah. I do."

That hissing laughter sounded again. "You know what they've become. Do you know what they were?"

What they were. Was she talking about before they were hybrids? When they had been human? Sadly he didn't know that. He didn't know the _real_ Ruby and Weiss. He didn't even know the latter's last name.

He only knew Ruby's because of the woman imprisoned at this school. The thought of her down there still tore at his heart.

"Well, no," he admitted. "It's impossible to know that."

Golden eyes stared up at his own. That sly smirk still played on her lips. The very tip of her tongue poked through as she ran it along pinkish flesh. "You should wonder what will become of them if you save them," she purred. "You _will_ save them, right? Will they still be the girls you love? Will they still love you..."

It was a question he had never really considered before. Of course they'd still be the same. Right?

He shook his head. Even if they weren't the same, even if they did no longer love him if they changed, it didn't matter. So long as they changed for the better, and so long as they were free of this life, then it would be worth it. They could love whoever they wanted as long as they weren't Salem's slaves anymore.

"It doesn't matter," he told her. "As long as they're happy, I'm happy."

Blake laughed again, pressing the side of her head up against his chest. "Your lips say one thing, but your emotions say another. You're terrified of losing them. The sweet stench of fear covers you, my love."

She wasn't wrong. He was scared of the thought of losing Ruby and Weiss. Of them no longer being in his life. However what he said was also true. As long as they were happy, what they did was their own business. Their lives were their own. Not his. And certainly not Salem's.

The music wound down and the song ended. Jaune took the opportunity to escape Blake's grasp, and to his surprise she let go of him willingly. She dipped her knees in a curtsy, if he had to guess as a mockery of this farce of a dance.

"It was wonderful to dance with you, Jaune," she said as she turned to walk away. "Enjoy the rest of the evening."

Blake stalked away, probably to hide somewhere in the shadows like she had before. Her words resonated in his mind. Would his friends change if he was able to change them? Would they change for the better? Would they accept it? Or would they end up like Yang?

Yang...

As quickly as the dark moon of Blake had set, the bright sun of Yang had risen.

A head of blonde hair stood in the doorway. Unlike everyone else, she was not dressed for the occasion. She was not in her human form. Her human hand was planted on her hip as she scowled at the display of humanity. Still, she had shown up. Even if it was just to sneer at those who were participating, she was here.

Jaune saw it as an opportunity. One to perhaps get through to her like he and Ruby had attempted earlier in the day.

Moving across the floor to where she stood, Jaune smiled at the girl. "Hey, Yang. Glad you decided to show up."

The girl snorted dismissively. "And miss this train wreck?" She pointed over at where Ruby and Weiss continued to bicker. "I mean, check out my sister and the one-horned wonder of there."

Dancing had become grappling as the two continued to struggle for dominance. A regular person might have seen it as some weird, new-age dance that was an underground hit online. Jaune knew better. Jaune knew that hybrids fought amongst each other for supremacy.

"Well at least they're trying," he admitted.

"Trying and failing."

"You think you can do better?"

Yang's eyes narrowed on him and his challenge. "Of course I could. I just don't want to."

 _It was less like they were dancing, and more like they were fighting._

An idea struck the boy. Yang had always been the most competitive of the bunch. Always the one most eager for a fight. Always the one who wanted to be the top dog. Well, it was put up or shut up time for the hybrid.

"You've never turned down a challenge before," he said. "You about to start now?"

Her frightening glare was focused on his face. Here was a girl who could take him in her giant Grimm arm and smash him to a bloody pulp on the floor. Yet here he was, egging her on like she was a harmless little sister.

"Your challenge is stupid."

"You afraid of a little dancing? Or afraid you might like it?"

Teeth were bared. A massive hand curled into a fist. Warning alarms were going off in Jaune's mind. He was about to die, wasn't he?

"You bastard," she whispered.

"Tell you what. Give me a dance and I'll give you a fight. The one on one you've always wanted."

 _That_ got her attention. Red eyes widened, and the snarl on her face turned into questioning shock. "You're serious?"

"Very serious. When we get to Vale we'll spar. Just you and me. And I'll..." he paused. "Show you how strong I am."

Yang's face lit up in excitement. "Deal!"

A giant arm practically dragged Jaune back to the dance floor, and much to Ruby and Weiss' surprise, wrapped around his torso, encompassing nearly the entire thing in her fingers. In that moment it stuck out as particularly terrifying to him that all Yang needed to do was squeeze and he would be crushed like an empty aluminum can. She could end his life with the flick of a wrist. This unstable, bloodthirsty hybrid literally held his life in her oversized hand.

And yet he was fine with it. This was the new normal.

Jaune had never been this close to Yang before. Sure, he had seen all of her before. They had fought each other before. But he had never felt her like this. Her ample chest pressed up against his. Pale blonde hair the color of straw sat right in front of his nose. She really did have beautiful hair. Jaune had never noticed it before. It was hard to notice things about a person when they wanted to be seen as a monster.

He unintentionally got a whiff of her hair being this close to her. To his surprise, it smelled like a fruit he couldn't quite place. A Grimm hybrid of all things used some sort of fancy shampoo. How bizarre.

Pulling back a little bit, he looked down at the horned girl's head. "See, isn't this nice?"

The girl in his arms scoffed. "Yeah, sure."

Jaune frowned. She was still resisting. She still didn't want to get in touch with her humanity.

Ruby had been able to do it before. When her Aura had first unlocked. Maybe her sister was the key? And here, unlike before in her room, Yang couldn't run away. If she wanted her fight with Jaune, she needed to dance.

"You love Ruby, don't you?"

He felt her back stiffen instantly. Her hand that held his body tightened, and Jaune felt the pressure on his ribs increase. It was laborious just to take a deep breath in the hybrid's grasp.

"It's okay to love, Yang," he pressed on. And in doing so the pressure increased. "It's okay to love. Good to love. There are people in our lives we should love."

Still, she said nothing. She didn't look at him. All he could see was blonde hair as they moved to the music.

"Ruby loves you. She loves you so much. She saved you back there. We both did. Maybe in different ways, but we both did. She would have been hurt if you had died."

Jaune felt Yang's forehead press down on his chest. He felt how her head shook. "I don't want her to hurt."

Success! An opening! Actual human emotion! Even if it wasn't a happy one, it was a start.

"Because you love her, right?"

Yang took a heaving breath in his arms. The pressure on his body decreased. Was her grip weakening? A glance back down showed something new. Had her hair gotten more vibrant? Or was it just the lighting?

"I do..." she whispered. "And that's what scares me."

As much as Yang's hold on him was weakening, Jaune's was strengthening. He held her tightly in his arms now, and they weren't so much dancing anymore as they were just swaying back and forth in one another's arms. All his dancing skills went out the window as he merely held a vulnerable girl close to him.

"Why does it scare you?"

Yang pulled away, and to his surprise she had changed. Gone was the white skin. Gone were the long horns jutting from her forehead. Lilac eyes had taken the place of red ones. She had reverted to her human form. And she was stunningly gorgeous.

"Careful, lover boy," she smiled through the tears which were welling in her eyes. "Keep looking at me like that and your mates might get the wrong idea. Are Ruby and Weiss not enough for you?"

"No no, it's not that," he insisted. "It's just... wow."

"Keep sweet talking, but I'm still not joining your pack." She shrugged, looking away as she continued. "But... maybe after our one on one action, the two of us could have a little _one on one_ action. Just for fun."

In all honesty, Jaune knew he would be hard-pressed to refuse her if she wanted to have a little fling. Even if it was nothing more than sex. She was just _that_ beautiful. Especially because hybrid culture seemed to be okay with such relationships.

"Let's um, get back to that later," he insisted. He had to stay on track. Stay on the topic at hand. Yang was opening up, and he had to press onward. "Why are you afraid of loving Ruby?"

Yang looked so... vulnerable in her human form. With glistening tears that made her eyes sparkle like gemstones. In this moment she was nothing like the monster girl with the huge arm.

"Because loving someone makes you weak," she whispered. "It brings you nothing but pain."

Love could indeed do that. But love could do so much more as well. The benefits of love outweighed the negatives by such a large margin that it was a terrible idea to cut it out just to avoid the badness. He had to make Yang see it that way.

"That's not true. You see how happy Ruby is."

"I'm not Ruby."

True enough. Ruby had always called herself a freak. That she was too positive. For some reason love might have just come easier for her. For whatever reason.

"Still doesn't mean you can't love. Or that you shouldn't."

"I did love," she said softly. "Once."

Reading between the lines, he knew Yang wasn't talking about Ruby.

"You're more in touch with your humanity than me," she continued. "Maybe you'll understand."

"Understand what?"

Yang hesitated. Like saying the next words caused her physical pain. Yet she choked them out. "About my mother."

Her mother.

The woman in the dungeon.

The next word came out without thinking. "Summer?"

Lilac eyes widened. "How do you know that name?"

Jaune panicked. How could he explain to Yang that her mother was alive if that was the root of her issue? Should he even tell her? How would she react? How would Ruby react?

He had made it this far through lying. Might as well keep it up. "Um... Salem told me once..."

It wasn't even technically a lie. He was merely omitting part of the whole truth. Salem had after all told him Summer's name.

Yang shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I wasn't talking about Summer anyway."

Her words confused him. If she was talking about her mother, but not Summer, then who?

His unasked question was answered a few seconds later. "I'm talking about my biological mother. Raven."

* * *

 _10 years earlier_

Raven Branwen was a coward.

She had always been a coward. And as she stood here in this place, she felt fear once more for the first time in years.

Annoyingly it wasn't the first time in her life she had felt this way. Even more annoyingly, it was once again caused by this man. It seemed as though every instance of fear in her life had been brought upon her by him. The question tugged at the back of her mind. Why was she here?

A flash of memory told her why. No matter how hard she tried to chase it away, it would remain with her forever.

Raven raised a hand to the door, and saw that her fist was shaking. A breath shot through clenched teeth, and she lowered her arm once more. Her left hand came over to grab hold of the shaking appendage, hoping that her body would still if she squeezed hard enough. Fear. How she hated the feeling of fear. So much easier to simply run away than to face what opposed her. She had ran before. Why not again?

Another memory came to her. A vision of a smiling, happy man with a mop of messy blond hair on his head. Of the tiny bundle of fragile human life he held in his arms. Both now snuffed from existence, albeit in totally different ways. No, this was not something she could run from.

She had run away from the idea of falling in love once. She had run away from the duty of caring for her daughter. And although she had gained power beyond her wildest imagination as a result of her decisions, all that power meant nothing in the face of what challenged her now. Complete and utter despair.

Steeling herself, Raven raised a fist once more and pounded her knuckles on the wooden door. No doubt the man inside would have heard it. She took a step back, taking a deep breath as she prepared to face him for the first time in years. For the first time since their daughter was born.

Seconds seemed to last an eternity as she waited. Maybe he wasn't home. Maybe she wouldn't have to go through with this. Maybe she would be able to run away once more, and be able to confirm that running was indeed correct decision.

To both her relief and disappointment, Taiyang Xiao Long was home. And he was pulling the door open.

He hadn't changed. Not all that much at least. His face was older and more mature. A thick stubble on his face made the tanned man resemble her brother Qrow. As did the stench which clung to his clothes. However, he still had that same blond hair. Those deep blue eyes. Here was still the man she had once fallen for, and had abandoned when he, and their daughter, needed her the most.

Taiyang's eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe the sight before him. Raven couldn't blame him. "Raven?" he asked.

The dark-haired woman hadn't known exactly what kind of reaction she would get from her estranged lover, but she could hardly believe that there didn't seem to be any anger in his tone. Then again, maybe all the alcohol in his system prevented him from showing his true feelings for her.

"Tai," she said gently. Far more gentle than she was used to. After all, here was a man who had just lost everything.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. There was an immediate shift in his tone from surprise to suspicion. Perhaps his mind, much like his physical reflexes, were indeed stunted by drink.

The bandit leader, the murderer, the woman who valued strength above all things, said words she never could have imagined saying only a few days ago. "I came to see how you were doing," she said softly. Genuinely.

She may have been many things, but heartless was not one of them. As much as she would have liked to have been, her cowardice prevented her from being able to cut all ties with her emotion. Raven had fallen for this man all those years ago for a reason. Deep in her heart, despite how much she wanted to forget, there was still a part of her which cared for him.

"How do you think," he snapped.

There were no further words. Despite his bitter remark being so short, it carried with it the weight of an angry tirade. Sometimes it was the lack of words which spoke volumes.

Raven knew how he was doing without even having to ask the question. Yet she had for the sake of courtesy. To make conversation. She hated small talk. She hated weak emotions like empathy and compassion. She may not have been good at them, but the fact that she was here making the attempt proved to herself how much she still cared.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

She saw how his jaw clenched. How his face and eyes averted themselves from her as he looked off to the side. It took long moments of contemplation before he answered. Or maybe it was simply the drink again. "Fine."

Tai turned, not bothering to say anything or make any sort of gesture as he moved back deeper into the cabin. Raven followed behind, and for the first time in her life saw the place that her daughter, and her former teammates, had called home.

Looking around, she saw how rustic everything was. The walls were wood paneling. The floors were hardwood. The shelves, the cabinets, the coffee table, all stained wood. A white and green area rug lay in the living room below a couch and large television stand. It was all so simplistic, yet beautiful. Compared to her bandit camp, Tai's home was a palace. A place fit for a king and queen, and their little princesses.

Their poor, poor princesses.

He led her into the kitchen where the source of the stench on him sat on the table. A mostly empty bottle of amber liquid sat along with a single glass. On the countertop were several more empty bottles. It looked as if Hurricane Qrow had just passed through, leaving a mess of glass bottles in his wake. However she knew that not to be true. Though her brother and Tai had been in contact with one another, these bottles belonged to Tai and Tai alone.

She couldn't blame him, either.

Her former teammate sat down, and downed the last of the liquid which had been left in his glass. Placing it back down with a little more force than necessary, he stared down at it. Despite his silence, she knew what was going through his head.

Raven had never felt more uncomfortable in her life. Here she was, a mighty huntress with the powers of the Spring Maiden. A woman who could bring entire settlements to their knees single-handedly. An individual who knew the dark truths of the world which had faded into myths and legends. And yet... she felt utterly helpless in the face of a problem so utterly human.

A lifetime of being around her twin brother had caused Raven to develop a distaste for alcohol. The air itself was saturated with the stuff. Tai reeked of it. Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"You smell like my brother," she stated curtly.

He didn't bother looking back at her when he replied. "Wouldn't you if you lost everything?"

It was an impossible question to answer. Raven didn't form emotional attachments. At least... she tried not to. She had thought that if she didn't then she could never be harmed by losing them. Yet as she stood here before Tai, she knew that line of thinking was utterly wrong. Some bonds went beyond choosing to form them or not.

Some things were just beyond her control.

"Tai..." she trailed off. In truth she had no idea what she had intended to offer in comfort. As it turned out, she wouldn't need to.

"Everything, Raven!" the man suddenly snapped, turning to face her at last. Those gentle eyes, calm and blue like a placid lake, were filled with unfamiliar anger. "I had finally put my life back together after you abandoned me! Abandoned us!" His head shook softly. "And then..."

He trailed off, but Raven knew what those unspoken words were. Then Summer had left him too. Albeit not by her own choice like it had been for herself, but she had left him nonetheless. She had gone on a mission and never returned.

"And now my baby girls are dead," he continued, his voice soft and shaky. It felt as though it were made of glass and could shatter at any moment. "They're dead, Raven. Everything I loved is dead."

They weren't dead. But maybe that fact was the worst part of it all.

When Yang and Ruby had gone missing, Qrow had come crawling and asked to use her Semblance, her connection to Yang, to find them. It was a simple and effective solution that she had been more than willing to entertain. Raven had even considered making a game of it, perhaps taking them in herself and making some sort of unreasonable demand of her brother that she knew only his master Ozpin could fulfill. When she opened her portal to find her wayward daughter, Raven had not expected that anything could stand before the power of a fully trained huntress and Maiden.

How wrong she was. There was no amount of strength that could have prepared her for what she was stepping into. There was no power in all of Remnant which could have defeated the horrors she witnessed on the other side of that portal. Creatures of Grimm by the thousands. A nightmarish world bathed in twilight. But even all of this, even all the strength of Ozpin's immortal enemy was not the worst part of it all.

She did indeed find Yang. She found Ruby too. Or at least what remained of them. Gone was her golden-haired daughter. Gone was the young girl that was a spitting image of her former friend and teammate Summer Rose. What remained of those two little girls were what could only be described as monsters. Vile and twisted beasts shaped by Salem herself.

It broke her. For all her strength, Raven was shattered in that moment.

Rather than tell her brother the truth, Raven had told him that there was no connection to be made. Yang was dead, and with her Ruby probably was as well. It was true, from a certain point of view. The girls they knew no longer existed.

They may not have been dead, but sometimes lies were easier than the truth.

Raven didn't know what to say to such a heart-wrenching statement by her ex-husband. Pep talks and optimistic speeches had always been Summer's forte. She would merely have to do her best to wing it.

She sat down in the seat to his right. "Tai, you still have so much of your life ahead of you." He was only thirty after all. He hadn't even lived half of his life yet. "There's still so much good you can do in the world."

"Why?"

The question surprised her. He had always been so eager to help others. So gregarious and personable. Taiyang Xiao Long was a man of the people by every definition. It was probably why he had went to school to become a huntsman.

He poured the remnants of the bottle into his glass. At least he hadn't gone full drunk like Qrow and taken it straight from the bottle. "Why bother getting my hopes up anymore?" he asked bitterly. "Why move on again? The world will just rip that happiness away from me like it always does. Why bother going on..."

Alarms were going off in Raven's head now. The sheer pain in those last words of his were completely alien from the man she once knew. Though she understood his depression and sorrow in this moment, she had never once considered that it would have been enough to drive him to such a dark place.

She couldn't blame him. But at the same time, she couldn't allow it to exist. Despite her own moral philosophy, she couldn't help but harbor traces of affection for him. Despite their past she couldn't help but care about him. A world with Tai in it was better than a world without him.

Raven stood up, her hands pressed against the table as she stared down at him. "Tai. I won't let you do what you're thinking of doing."

It wasn't an idle threat either. Unbeknownst to him, Raven had become unimaginably stronger since they had last met. She had the capability to prevent Tai from doing anything she did not want him to do.

"And who are you to tell me what I can't do?" he asked bitterly. "You lost that right the moment you walked out on your daughter."

He wasn't wrong. Raven had no place in his life anymore. After what she had done, after what she had put him and their daughter through, she had no right to expect Tai to ever speak to her again. That didn't mean, however, that she would stand by and play by the rules she was expected to follow. Bandits rarely did.

"As the only rational person in the room," she stated, nodding to the empty bottle of liquor on the table. "It's not only my right, but my obligation to stop you."

Blue eyes narrowed on her. "You've got a lot of nerve coming back after all this time and trying to barge your way back into my life. Just go away. You already did once, so it shouldn't be hard to do it again. And give Qrow my best when you see him."

Raven's fingers squeezed down on the edge of the table. She had to be careful, lest she break something else in Tai's life. "I'm not leaving you right now," she stated firmly. Like an order she might have given to one of her subordinates. "I'm not going to let you do something you'll regret."

To her surprise, Tai chuckled darkly. She hadn't said anything funny, but then again humor was probably the last thing on the man's mind. "Can't regret something if you're not there to think about it anymore."

Did he think this was a joke? Did he think his _life_ was a joke? So meaningless that it could be discussed in such a manner? "You're a real son of a bitch," she retorted just as darkly. "You know that?"

"Guess it takes a son of a bitch to recognize the bitch standing next to him."

For a moment she was about to respond in kind, but she realized that she was letting her anger get the better of her. She hadn't come here to argue with him. She had come to offer compassion and support. Even if at this moment he was trying to push her away.

"Tai..." she growled.

"I said go away," he said again. The anger was gone now, replaced once again with despair. "I don't love you anymore and you never loved me. Our daughter is dead. You have no connection to me anymore. This doesn't concern you. Just go home. Wherever that is."

Home. Looking around her, she saw a home. A home that a happy family had once shared. A home her friends from Team STRQ built together. One where her daughter and Summer's daughter had happily lived and played together.

Yes. This place was a home. Her camp in the middle of Mistral... was not.

"That's not true," she argued softly.

"It doesn't. You forfeited that right years ago."

"No." He had misunderstood her words. "It's not true that I never loved you. I wouldn't have had Yang with you if I didn't. I wouldn't have married you."

"Bullshit."

Raven could easily see why he would dispute such a claim. However, he didn't know what laid inside her heart. How could he, when she herself hadn't known what was in her heart either?

"And despite what you might think," she continued. "I still care about you. I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

"Oh yeah? And what are you here for?"

The honest truth was that she didn't know. She had come here without a real plan. Without anything to offer but a few consoling words. To let him know that she was here for him in his time of need after losing his daughters. However, the truth of the situation dwarfed what her mind was able to imagine. The true sight of grief was something she was utterly unprepared for.

Before her was a man who had lost the will to live. A man who, as he said himself, had lost everything. And he had. Summer was gone, and probably dead. Yang and Ruby were abominations of Salem. Tai had nothing left to live for.

Gone was the man who she had once called her husband. Gone was the man who had stolen her heart with as much skill as the bandits who raised her. Gone was the happy go lucky man who cried tears of joy when she had bore his first child.

In his place was an empty shell of a man. One who had lost the will to live.

Their history was broken. Their relationship was broken. Both of them were broken by their shared loss. But she would not discard those pieces. She would not allow a man she had once loved to end it all.

"Something," she wound up whispering as she closed in on him.

Throwing caution to the wind, as well as any kind of rational thinking, Raven grabbed hold of her former lover's face and crashed her lips down upon his. For the first time in years she tasted him, and it was a most unpleasant and unwelcome one. His breath stank and tasted of alcohol, but Raven persisted and rammed her tongue through the gates of his mouth to taste even more of him. He didn't stop her. It didn't end until she decided it was over, and she pulled away from the seated man.

Looking down at him, Raven saw his eyes wide in shock. Tai's mouth was still agape in surprise. "Raven..." he gasped. "What are you-"

She took hold of his hands in hers, pulling him from the seat at the kitchen table. Her arms came to wrap around his back, using his body to pull her face up closer to him. More kisses came to pepper his throat and neck.

"Shut up," she breathed as she came up for air. "Just shut up."

He did. At least for a moment. The only sound that came from him for a few seconds were the faint gasps as she greedily took his flesh in her mouth.

"I hate you so much, Raven," he whispered. "I despise you."

Raven stopped, stepping back to look up into his eyes. "I know. But just for tonight forget all that. Just tonight let me give you something to live for. Let me make you feel something besides pain."

For long seconds blue and red stared into each other. Before the former came crashing down on her like a tidal wave.

Tai's lips claimed hers, and his arms enveloped her body now. Larger and stronger than her, he was able to lift her up off her feet and seat her atop the table. One of his arms released her only so that it could sweep away the empty glassware from the table, and the sounds of them shattering on the floor filled Raven's ears. She didn't care though. Right now she was in the moment, and right now Tai was her everything. Just as she was his.

Large calloused hands, ones that had once been able to make her feel the very pinnacle of bliss, took hold of her shoulders and pinned her down onto the hard wooden surface. Lips migrated from her own down to her neck, and she couldn't prevent a gasp of pleasure slipping through her lips as Tai rained all too familiar kisses on her flesh. His hips rested mere inches away from what only a short skirt covered, which would soon give them both what they desired. She had missed this feeling. She had missed him. Even if it had taken her years to remember how he had once made her feel.

As Tai began to disrobe, she knew what this was going to be. It was nothing more than hate sex. It was grief sex. Both at the same time. When it was over he would still hate her. She didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but she would worry about that tomorrow. At the very least, it would feel good for him. He would live another night, and afterward they would go forward from there. Taking it one day at a time. Together. Like it always should have been.

If she hadn't been such a coward.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** A wild Taiyang and Raven have appeared! What does their sudden appearance in a flashback mean? Is this specter of the past a vision of the future? Will anyone get that reference? Find out soon!

This was news to me, but apparently Raven's description in Amity Arena pretty much cleared up a piece of lore about her relationship with Tai. She was referred to as "a wife", among other things. So, confirmation that she married Tai? Blows me mind, since I never would have thought a character like her would have even considered settling down. But it definitely makes her super interesting.

Big chapter. Biggest one yet. And also the beginning of the end of our time in Grimm Academy. Our favorite monsters will be heading over to Vale, but who will be making the trip? With Jaune, Team RWBY and our favorite mistake of an OC Wesson, a couple are getting left behind! Or are they?

Anyway, as always my thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for all their contributions. And of course my thanks go out to all of you for reading. This was supposed to be out yesterday, but I just didn't get finished with it until late in the day, so decided to postpone its release until today.

I hope you all enjoyed it.


	21. Chapter 21

It was a packing frenzy reminiscent of happier days with his family. Only in the place of seven golden-haired sisters, it was two monsters in the guise of human flesh.

Ruby and Weiss had been moving back and forth all morning in their effort to prepare themselves for the upcoming trip to Vale. The fact that they possessed only meager amounts of personal property made it all the more confusing. Or perhaps that was what made it so difficult for them. Maybe they simply didn't know what they should bring along. Truth be told both of the girls could likely fit their entire lives in a single suitcase. Their entire stolen lives.

Most everything they were bringing along had been provided to them by the faculty. Changes of clothes. Personal hygiene products. Even cheap burner scrolls so that they would be able to communicate with one another like any normal teenager. Jaune wondered if they would even know how to use the devices. He supposed he could teach them on the way to Vale. There would be little else to do on the long flight.

Weiss in particular seemed to be freaking out over the situation, and the fact that she was desperately trying to cram her bed sheets inside her luggage gave Jaune pause. He didn't think anything that the eccentric girls would surprise him anymore. However as he continued to learn, he should always expect the unexpected when it came to his hybrid friends.

"Weiss, you know Beacon will have their own sheets, right?" he asked.

Her had snapped over to regard him, a pair of icy blue eyes staring at him with all seriousness. "I must ensure that I have enough material to construct a nest for our young."

Jaune blinked. "A nest."

"Yes," she nodded. "Though I wonder, if our children are born while in Vale, will they have dual citizenship with both here and the human kingdom?"

Truth be told, Jaune didn't even know where 'here' was. He had never bothered to ask. He doubted anyone would tell him either. This was merely Salem's realm as far as he was concerned. With its unique, perpetual twilight, he very much doubted it was marked on any maps.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. But still, that wasn't the weirdest thing Weiss had brought up. "Uh, so about the nest. Can't you just use... whatever it is you're wearing for that?"

The item in question was the bizarre, almost bandage-like top that currently covered Weiss' upper chest. Her bare midriff was exposed, before yet more bandages surrounded her hips, extending to somewhere below the waistline of her blue jeans. Weiss in blue jeans. What a bizarre sight. A light brown vest completed her ensemble, making her looks like an oddly stylish and beautiful mummy more than anything.

"Professor Fall said that this is something that young people wear," Weiss stated proudly. "I shall not use my shirt as nesting material except in the most dire of circumstances."

"Yeah, these things are cool!" Ruby agreed, picking at the bandage-like material of her own top with a thumb and forefinger. "A little tight around the chest, but still. Human clothes are so neat!"

"Brag about it more," the other girl grumbled.

Ruby wore the exact same attire as Weiss. Apparently when Cinder had been sent out to shop for what 'young people would wear', she had decided to get them all the same outfits.

If the bandage-like top was tight on Ruby, Jaune could only hope that Cinder had made the appropriate compensation for Yang's bust. Or gotten her something else entirely.

"I can't wait to see what else Professor Fall got for us," Ruby said excitedly. "I think I saw a black skirt somewhere in there. Really makes me wish I could wear my regular black dress to Vale."

"It's kind of, uh, tattered," Jaune pointed out. "Probably best to wear something that won't make people think you're a bum."

"Yes, Ruby. Try to look less like an ass while we're in the human kingdoms."

"An ass?" Ruby questioned. Her focus shifted from Weiss back to him. "Jaune why did you call me ass!"

"I didn't?"

"Ass," Weiss stated matter-of-factly. "A synonym for bum. Butt. Buttocks. Rear end. Backside. Need I go on?"

"Please don't, Weiss. We don't need to hear any more about butts."

The white-haired girl folded her arms across her bandaged chest. "I didn't hear you complaining about my butt the night of the dance."

Jaune's mind was drawn back to the night in question. Yeah. He definitely hadn't been complaining then. A little bit of dancing had gotten Weiss all wound up. Once they had made it back to their room, she wanted to do a lot more than just dance.

"Mine too!" Ruby added quickly. As if she needed to keep up with Weiss.

She didn't. But it didn't stop them from competing for his attention that night. Two girls at the same time. Yeah. The night of the dance was one he would remember for the rest of his life. However short or long that life might last.

"Anyway," Jaune said pointedly. "A bum is a homeless person. It wasn't calling you a butt, Ruby."

"Oh." Silver eyes blinked. "But we'll have dorms in Vale, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, we should. We're exchange students after all."

"Then why would I be a bum?"

"Ass," Weiss sniped.

"I'm not an ass!"

"Neither of you are asses!" Jaune exclaimed. Words that surprised him, once more proving that he should never become too complacent in a place like this. "Just... just forget I said anything, okay? Your new clothes are beautiful, and you should definitely wear them to Vale instead of your old stuff. Happy?"

Weiss preened proudly under the praise. Like many of his sisters, all it took was a simple compliment about her looks to placate her.

Ruby looked a little less convinced, considering she was under the assumption that she had been called an ass. But a soft smile from the boy's lips was all it took to turn everything around, and Ruby's own face lit up with a smile of her own when their eyes met.

"Thanks," the redhead mumbled bashfully. Silver eyes darted over to his own suitcase before back to him. "Are you done packing already?"

There hadn't been much to pack, really. Jaune had come to this school with only one suitcase filled with clothing and items he believed were essential to attending a huntsman academy. That, along with his weapon, accounted for all of his belongings here. It didn't take long to pack everything back up.

"Yup. I'm all set."

"Gah!" she griped. "Packing is so stupid! Why can't we just buy everything we need once we're in the human kingdoms?"

"Because lien doesn't grow on trees?"

"False!" Weiss snapped. "Lien is made of paper. And paper comes from wood. Hence, lien does grow on trees."

"Lien notes aren't paper," Jaune smirked. "They're plastic cards."

Weiss glared at him, as if the fact that she was proven wrong was offensive. Despite her fiery temper, those cold glares of hers never failed to send shivers down his spine.

"I'm just saying..." he muttered.

"Well say it less. The last thing anyone likes is a know it all."

He wanted to burst out laughing. That was rich coming from a know-nothing know it all like Weiss.

"Yes, Weiss," he sighed, as if he was talking to an overbearing wife. In a way that's what Weiss had become. More than just a friend or a roommate. She was his mate. Just as Ruby was. He loved them both dearly. "Anyway, I'm going to head to the kitchen to make some snacks for the trip. I doubt the Bullhead we're going on is going to have any in-flight meals."

"Oh, oh!" Ruby shouted, jumping up before rushing over to a familiar sleeping fur ball. "Get the dog food too, okay?"

Jaune's eyes narrowed. The last time he had thought about dog food was the time he had been forced to eat it upon first arriving at this school. Before he had been given permission to make use of the kitchen. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because Zwei's coming with us!" she gushed, picking up the corgi in question and cradling him in her arms like a baby. "We can't leave you all alone here with Blake and Wesson now can we?" she cooed to the dog. "No we can't! You're coming to the human kingdoms where you came from!"

The boy smiled. Yeah, that made sense. Cat faunus or not, he had a feeling that Blake did not fear Zwei. Now that he thought about it, he would have feared for the dog's safety if he was left here all alone with a creature like Blake lurking about.

The sight of Ruby cradling the dog sent a jolt of electricity through his heart. He wondered how she would handle actually being a mother. What if she did one day desire a child from him? Would he be okay with that? What would he or she even look like? Would it be half Grimm like Ruby?

Of course if Ruby bore his child, Weiss would want one as well. How was it that simple things like family structures had gotten so complicated? For all the dreaming he and many other boys did about having relationships with multiple women, it was never quite that simple in practice.

He shook the thought from his head. "Yeah. Sounds good. Make sure to leave room in your suitcase for the bag, okay?"

Ruby's face dropped, and it looked as though she had been stabbed in the heart. "But... but that makes things even more complicated! I don't have enough room as it is!"

Jaune smiled as he turned an moved to the door. "I'm sure you'll manage, Ruby. I believe in you."

"I'm putting it in your suitcase!" she shouted after him as he stepped outside. It sounded more like a threat than anything.

He shook his head, closing the door behind him before walking down the hall. His head was on a swivel as he went, taking in all the sights which had become so familiar to him. This would be his last day in this horrible, awful place. At least for now. An academy once filled with Grimm hybrids, their numbers cut down to so few. A brutal world where survival of the fittest ruled the land. One filled with horrors he never could have imagined existed. Yet... one filled with people he had come to love. Each in their own distinct way.

But he would be going home soon. Not literally to his home, but back to civilization. Back to safety. Back to a world which made sense. Soon he would no longer be the fish out of water, but his friends would. Did they know enough to blend in? Could they hold their human guises long enough to not be outed as monsters? Salem seemed to think so. It was why she had chosen Ruby, Weiss, and Yang to accompany him as a team in the Vytal Tournament. Blake being left behind was an obvious choice. Her instability made her a liability. As for Wesson, well, the less said about Wesson the better.

Pretty soon they would all be at Beacon Academy. What would life there be like? Life at a true huntsman academy? Going out to downtown Vale to shop. To eat. To find entertainment. It would be a whole new world to the girls. Most of them at least. Yang had apparently been out on missions already, which was where she had picked up her shotgun. Hopefully she would be able to help wrangle her little sister and Weiss.

Then again, was Yang truly all that stable too? Learning what he had about her past, about her birth mother, made him realize there was more bubbling underneath the surface than met the eye. Yang had been abandoned as a baby by the woman named Raven. Yang had taken Ruby out in a hopeless search to find her mother, and that was when they had been abducted by Salem. Jaune was still in the dark about anything that might have happened after that. All he knew was that there was a lot of anger in Yang's heart. Unresolved and simmering anger. It made sense why she loved to fight so much.

Speaking of fighting, Jaune spied the familiar form of his most hated teacher in the distance. Leaning against the wall with his arms folded, Tyrian stood as the figurative final barrier between him and the kitchen. Jaune wondered how long he had been waiting there, and if it had been specifically for his arrival. Considering the scorpion faunus had seemingly made it his mission to torment the boy since day one, it wouldn't have been surprising.

All hopes of Tyrian ignoring him as he passed by were lost as the man's head rose, a pair of golden eyes honing in on him. "Why, _Mister_ Arc," he said with the usual emphasis when it was just the two of them. "What an unexpected surprise to find you here."

Unexpected his ass. They both knew that Tyrian had been waiting for this encounter. The only question was, why? "Professor," Jaune nodded back, keeping up appearances that weren't necessary when it was just the two of them. They were both in on his secret, after all.

"Going to the kitchen I see. Preparing yourself and your teammates a nice meal, I take it?"

Jaune shrugged. "Something like that."

"Yes, yes, you will need all of your strength for when you arrive in Vale." The man paused, a knowing smirk growing on his lips. "Vale," he repeated. "It will be ever so much fun to go back to the safety of the human kingdoms, won't it, _Mister_ Arc?"

Going anywhere but here would be an improvement. Away from the psychopaths and evil men and women who chose to be here willingly. Naturally Jaune knew he couldn't say as much to the man who could end his life with a single poke from his stinger. "I guess," he wound up saying diplomatically.

"Finally back home. Away from all the scary monsters who go bump in the night. Why, you could simply stay there and never come back! Leave all of this behind, little more than a bad memory as you live out the rest of your days. Have you considered doing this?"

He hated to admit it to himself, but he had. Jaune had considered doing all that and more. Once he got to Vale he would be out of reach of Salem and her minions, unless they decided to specifically hunt him down and murder him. He wouldn't put it past them to do so. To find him and his entire family, and put them all to the sword for his impudence. Not even because he would expose them and all their secrets. No one would ever believe him anyway. No one would believe that Grimm-human hybrids existed and planned to infiltrate the kingdoms of men. No one would believe that magic existed, nor that an ancient, immortal woman named Salem controlled the creatures of Grimm from the shadows.

No, if they wanted to kill Jaune, they would do it simply out of spite. To show that he would never be safe from their reach.

"No," he lied.

"Oh come now, boy. I'm sure you must have thought about what life would be like if you were to escape all of this. Leaving poor little Ruby to her fate, friendless and alone once more. Weiss, wondering why the most powerful hybrid who she had given herself to was seemingly no longer interested. Yang, abandoned once by the one she loved, abandoned yet again by someone she confided in. And then there's Blake. Poor, shy, sweet Blake. What would she do without you, Jaune? Why, she might be driven even further over the edge if her new favorite toy was taken from her."

Tyrian painted a picture of loss and betrayal for each of the girls he had come to care for. It was simply another reason he couldn't leave. He couldn't abandon them to this fate. To a world where they were Salem's minions. A world where their lives had been stolen from them. A world with no hope to ever return to a normal life.

No, Jaune would not abandon them. He would not allow them to return to this place alone. Even if that meant sacrificing his own life to come back with them. He wanted to be a huntsman. He wanted to be a hero. He would be a hero. Their hero.

"I'm not leaving them," he stated with bitter resolve. "They're my friends." And in some cases, much, much more.

Tyrian's hands came up and he clapped merrily. "Oh goodie! I look forward to your return then, _Mister_ Arc. We have so many more things to teach you here. So many more wonderful experiences for you to enjoy. You've already become quite intimate with Ruby and Weiss. I'd be a very poor matchmaker if I didn't set you up with Blake as well. Since Adam's untimely demise, she's had no one to indulge her with her tentacle play..."

The idea of an intimate relationship with Blake in her hybrid form sent shivers down Jaune's body, and made him squirm particularly below the belt. He couldn't, or rather, didn't want to imagine what kind of things Blake would want to do with him in that form.

"I intend to purchase more of her favorite brands of Mistrali graphic novels to sate her for the time being. I'm sure they will give her plenty of ideas for activities in time for your return..."

Again, it was not an image Jaune wanted in his mind. "And should that day ever come, I'll make her see how beautiful her faunus form is. You may want her to be a monster, but I'll show her a better way."

"That's the spirit! A fighter to the end!" Tyrian grinned evilly, teeth bared like a wild animal. It wasn't too far from the truth. "It's always so much more entertaining when a victim goes down swinging, after all. To snuff out the glimmer of hope in their eyes, when they realize that all their struggle amounted to nothing, there's no more satisfying feeling in the world than that."

Anger and bile rose in Jaune's throat in equal amounts. Tyrian was indeed a sick, depraved man. This time Jaune had no qualms about saying as much. "You're disgusting."

"Says the man who loves and fornicates with monsters." The faunus shrugged. "At least, that is how the outside world would perceive you. In all honesty, the fact that a mere _human_ such as yourself has taken Salem's glorious children as his partners makes you an exemplar of your species. If you were to embrace them, embrace our goddess, then things would be very different for you, my boy." Tyrian's face darkened. "However you instead choose to continue to insult our goddess and demean her works. You wish to disturb perfection. That, is why I hate you. Why I have hated you since the first day you arrived and called her children monsters. They are more beautiful and perfect than you or any other weakling human could ever hope to be."

The man was deranged. A fanatic. Jaune had always known it, but Tyrian's deluded monologue only made it stand out more so. "You're just a faunus too," Jaune commented.

"A humble and worthless servant who knows his place before his goddess," Tyrian corrected. "Before this is all over, you shall know yours too. One way or another."

For long moments Jaune merely held the man's gaze. It was a wonder that he could even do that. How did one respond to a fanatic like Tyrian? Words meant nothing to a madman.

In the end it was Jaune who broke eye contact first, and Tyrian's body shifted in an instant. His arms unfurled, a hand gesturing toward the kitchen doors giving permission for Jaune to proceed. "But by all means, enjoy your meal. Enjoy everything while you still can, _Mister_ Arc."

Jaune wasted little time taking the opportunity he had been given. As he passed by, the psychotic cackling of the faunus filled his ears, laughing at a joke that only he could understand.

* * *

Against his better judgment, Jaune found himself in front of Blake's door once more. She left him a message, arranged from the bones of some small creature Jaune couldn't name on sight. Maybe that rabbit she ate what felt like a lifetime ago. It made his blood chill, knowing Blake hadn't put on a display like this in a while. If anything, she was more familiar now. Creepy, yes, but almost expected.

This went past creepy and was worrying. 'Come To My Parlor, Said The Spider To The Fly'.

'Welcome to my parlor,' was the first thing Blake ever said to Jaune. Her room, a den of darkness and misery that he rarely ventured near again. He could pin why she'd ask him to do this easily enough, what changed between the dance and now. The announcement the next day. Jaune, Ruby, Weiss and Yang would be forming a team, while Cinder and her two helpers would hook up with some third party minion to make their own team.

Blake and Wesson, unable to maintain a human shape for very long and in Blake's case, too unstable to be left in public often, would be left behind. Abandoned, a voice in the back of Jaune's head spoke up. Like her, Ruby's real mother. Summer Rose. He gritted his teeth and tried to focus on the present. If Blake felt slighted by this, maybe even outraged or betrayed, he couldn't blame her for lashing out. With this morbid turn, he feared the worst.

Yet, he stood before her door without sword or shield. Nor was he wearing his, by now very battered, armor. Not that he was sure he would have taken them even if they had been available. For as worrying as Blake could be, he wanted to believe in her. The day before he was instructed to leave them with Watts, for repairs and a modification to Crocea Mors that he specifically requested. Sword and shield were good for options, but Jaune came to realize over the months of fighting hybrids, sometimes you needed to hit things harder. Ruby helped him develop the concept, something she called the sword-sword, though it wouldn't do him much good here.

Wanted to did not equate to actually trusting her. Mostly because Jaune wasn't sure he could trust her at the best of times. So he stood in wait before her door, feeling almost naked in nothing but his hoodie. Small favors he wasn't actually naked, he supposed. Though, knowing Blake's tendrils, she could easily solve that 'problem'. Steeling his resolve, he closed his eyes and opened the door, stepping blindly into the darkness.

Only after hearing the door shut behind him did he open them again. He managed to bite back a scream as the desecrated, silently screaming head of the Faunus he know knew as Adam waited for him. Still in his jar, still in Blake's possession, now on a table raised up to be eye level with Jaune. Blake was nowhere to be seen.

"He was so sweet to me. So dear. So much hatred, I never truly appreciated it..."

Her voice came from everywhere, Jaune not even bothering to look. "Hey, Blake."

"Did you know I was going to abandon him? I was actually going to leave my beloved behind and break his heart. Then they came," movement behind him, a wisp of hot breath along his neck. "My angels. They descended on us and whisked me away. Dear, sweet Adam, he followed them, fought through the difficult terrain and emerged at the dread castle to save his one true love. His one and only, the one who held his heart in a vice."

Jaune saw, out of the corner of his eye, a flash of glimmering red. Was it her blade or her eyes? He couldn't be sure.

"I didn't break his heart, but I did eat it. I was so wasteful. Youth," a sigh, coming from Jaune's left. "What I would do to have him alive again. I could hurt him in so many better ways..."

"Blake." Jaune kept the tremor from his voice. He found he wasn't afraid of her, but deep down more afraid that he would disappoint her. That he would betray her. She deserved to be saved, just as much as anyone else in this awful hellhole. "I'm not leaving you, you know."

A high pitched noise nearly made Jaune drop to his knees, even as a dozen appendages briefly seized around his arms and legs. Only after it was done could he wonder if it was laughter or screaming. The appendages held him fast, Jaune trying not to fight back.

"But you are! Dear mine, dear me, you are, you are, you are! Leaving away with the girls you prefer to kiss. The girls you've given more flesh and spilt more blood for. Leaving, leaving me, leaving this horrid, nasty place and all those who deserve to be here. You are, you are, you are!"

Suddenly, before he could cry out from the pressure put on his limbs, the appendages were gone. They seemed to be grabbing him from every direction. Starting to turn, trying to find his voice again, he was startled when Blake dropped down in front of him. Her hair was withering, twisting tendrils, her eyes glowing a deep, mesmerizing purple. Her mouth was covered by that mask once more.

"You love them. Never me. I don't deserve your love. I have to take it. I always have to take everything. I took Adam's love, and I took my parents' love, and I have to take yours too. I hate it!" The mask started to crack, the tendrils that was her hair each sprouting their own blade. Jaune started to stumble back, unsure what to do. "I hate it, I hate it! I hate this, I hate Salem, I hate Adam, I hate my father, I hate myself!" More and more she became less humanoid, even as her eyes glowed brighter and brighter. "You! You Jaune! You!" She surged forward at him, Jaune bringing his arms up to protect himself.

She passed straight through him. An illusion. Jaune's heart was pounding, breath coming in fast and heavy. A weight settled on his back.

"I can't hate you." Something nuzzled against him, between his shoulder blades. "I love you. I love you so much. I love you! I love you! Jaune, I love you!" Jaune could feel a pressure around his throat. "I love you, love you, love you! I could just eat! You! Up!"

Jaune turned to face her. She was gone. The pressure around his neck was not.

"Blake, I'm not... I'm not leaving because I want to."

"But you do. You do want to. You're leaving with Yang and you're leaving with Ruby and you're leaving with Weiss. Leaving with everyone and everything important to you. How nice? How sweet! You're free now Jaune! Free of the monsters! Free of the horrors! Aren't you so happy now Jaune? It's everything you ever wanted!" Tighter the pressure grew, as her cries increased in volume and frantic pace.

"Not without you!"

The pressure at his neck stopped.

"I don't... I can't say I love you, Blake. You scare me. You terrify me. But I can't abandon you! You never asked for this, you never chose this!" Jaune was shouting now, spittle flying from the grip still at his throat. "I'm so sorry that this ever had to happen. I am so, so, sorry you ever had to suffer through all of this. I can't say I love you, but I would never want to leave you! I could never reject you!"

The grip was gone. The pressure lifted, Jaune falling to his knees gasping for breath.

"Silly boy. Tell me something I don't already know."

Jaune's eyes widened, looking up at Blake sitting on the side of her bed, legs dangling off. They were healthier looking, fuller. Beautiful, if he was going to be honest. She started to uncross them, Jaune forcing himself to look away. He noticed that she was actually wearing the mask, but otherwise she looked slightly healthier than usual. Not human, but not as horrifying as before. Maybe more balanced?

Jaune didn't dare hope.

Blake quirked an eyebrow at him. "Dear me, dear mine. My dear Jaune, you are just the cutest thing. When I take you in bed, the faces you will make will be etched into my fondest memories. Maybe even supplanting my dear, sweet Adam."

A light laughter filled the room, Jaune trying to bring his breathing back to normal.

"Were you just messing with me?"

Blake tilted her head. "Why ever would I do that? Is that the kind of thing I would do, beloved?"

Jaune did not respond. Blake's hidden grin grew in size, Jaune seeing the hint of teeth at the edges of her mask.

"No, I brought you here for another reason my sweet, earnest little bunny."

The boy felt his face burn, realizing that Pumpkin Pete was exposed for all to see. Blake's eyes ran over him top to bottom.

"You've bulked up, dearheart. Mm, so much coiled, taunt muscle, just waiting to be tasted," Blake's tendrils briefly went across Jaune's torso, Jaune trying not to react. "But no, that's not why you're here today. When I bring you to bed, you won't be expecting it. Regardless of your intentions, you will be leaving this school soon. Salem below knows if you will ever return." Blake leaned forward. "Aren't you worried about the woman, held in the dungeon? Don't you want to speak to her, just once?"

Jaune gulped, throat dry. "Yes. More than anything."

"Will you lie to her?"

"No. I'm going to tell her that I'll save her daughters. I'll save her."

"So you will lie to her."

"No!"

Blake leaned forward further, getting closer to Jaune. "I can take you to her."

He eyed her uneasily. "How?"

"Wrong question. How, why, these things don't matter." Blake ran a tentacle along Jaune's arm, ending at the back of his neck. "The better question is what is the catch? What do I want in return?"

Jaune nodded, noticing the other blade skim along his right arm to meet its sibling. "What... can I do for you, Blake?"

"I want a kiss. One kiss, freely given. A show of our bond, of your sincerity that you won't abandon me when you get out there in that big, open world." Blake brought Jaune forward, just a bit. Edging him along with the tips of her blades to the back of his neck.

Jaune swallowed, struggling to think. "Going to be hard to do that, with the mask in the way."

Blake's eyebrow rose again, before one of her strands of hair became a tentacle and sliced away the bonds holding the mask. It clattered to the ground between them, revealing her face.

Her face like Jaune never saw before. Not fully the gruesome maw he was accustomed to by now, but also not her rarely glimpsed human face either. Instead, across the front of her face were two beautiful, painted red lips, but the skin of her jaw only went as far as they did. Her horrible, monstrous teeth and extended, inhuman jaw were on full display on either side of her face. Yet somehow, she seemed complete like this. Perfected. This was Blake. Human and Grimm, beautiful and horrifying.

Her lips parted, twisting into a small smile. "Well?"

Jaune closed the gap, bringing his lips to hers. With Weiss, almost every kiss was a battle somehow, a test of will and honor that had some nebulous purpose and outcome. With Ruby, they were sweet, enjoyable, even thrilling. There was passion and love, but they both only knew so much about the act. Willing to learn but lacking in knowledge all the same. Blake was almost exactly like the first time she took his breath away, to so speak.

Powerful, dominating, forceful. Passionate. Jaune felt her tongue invade his mouth once more, slithering down his throat. She grabbed him tight, bringing him in close. Pressing her body against his, he quickly became aware that he was suffocating. Yet, he didn't exactly want to break away either. It was vexing, the feelings welling up inside his chest. The tinges of terror came as black spots started to appear over his vision, when Blake finally let him go.

He dropped to the ground, gasping for air. She smiled down at him, picking him up with her tentacles.

"I guess I just take your breath away."

Jaune couldn't even summon the energy to groan at the joke.

"See, Jaune, I'm not worried about you abandoning me. Even if you tried, even if you tried your very best," she was suddenly in his face again, her lips gone and nothing but teeth exposed, teeth that latched onto his neck. "I will always be in your shadow, following you. Forever."

This time he did black out. He wasn't sure why or how, but the next moment he was being shaken by smaller, human hands. Opening his eyes, he became aware of a voice calling to him. A somewhat familiar voice.

"Are you okay? Who are you? Hello?"

Jaune's eyes shot open. Summer Rose. He was dumped at her feet, almost literally, like a dead mouse that a cat brought to its owner.

"Ma'am!" His voice was raspy, throat probably damaged by Blake. He started coughing. "Sorry, just a second." He rubbed his neck. Something that he imagined could be mistaken as hickies covered it on either side. "I'm Jaune Arc."

Summer sat back, body language wary. "What does Salem want with me now?"

"No, I don't," he started hacking. Damn it, Blake! "No. I'm the same age as your daughters. Ruby and Yang?" Jaune couldn't stop the question coming. Did Summer consider Yang her daughter?

Her face twisted into a frown. "Sure. The Witch loves to recruit you young and stupid."

"No! I hate her!" Jaune finally felt his Aura fixing his throat, the muscles easing. "I don't work for her. She trapped me here and has me...I don't even know. I don't know anything more than you do. These past few months has just been so much. So much bloodshed, so much," Jaune stopped himself, knowing that this wouldn't be the best time to talk about how intimate he was with her daughter. "Too much."

Summer's look of distrust, coming in clear even with the blindfold, did not waver. "I'm sure you've had it very hard, Mr. Arc."

Jaune sighed. "You really don't believe me, do you?"

"Would it matter if I did?" Her question made Jaune pause. She continued. "Either you're a trick by Salem, to give me false hope for some ungodly reason only she could fathom. Or you're genuinely some idiot child who fell ass-backwards into the worst place to ever exist, having to fight for life and limb while Salem's perversions whittle away your humanity and resolve." She sat back against the pillar. "Either way it goes, it doesn't matter at all."

He wanted to refute her. He wanted to say something comforting. That Ruby was being more human, that Yang was making something like progress. But looking over the bitter, defiant woman before him, who had for years suffered the knowledge that Salem twisted her daughter into a monster. A monster that didn't even remember who she was, nor care. A monster that was paraded back and forth, without respite, without end, for no sensible reason but absolute cruelty.

What could he say to her?

Oh I've made your daughter smile more, that'll help us stop the immortal witch goddess who has us at her mercy at all times.

It made his chest ache worse than any wound he suffered in his time here. "I'm sorry. I'm, even if it kills me, I'm going to save you. You and your daughters. Everyone that I can."

Summer did not soften. "It will. And you won't."

Jaune wanted to reach out for her. To embrace her and try to make her understand how genuine he was. But would that help? No, he didn't think it would. Getting to his feet, he turned to Summer one more time. "We're going to be leaving soon. Most of the surviving students. Including Ruby and Yang. We're going to the human world. Beacon, I think. I just wanted you to know."

He turned away, not expecting a reply. This was so stupid. What did he even have to say to her?

Her voice stopped him. "If," she paused, breathing in. "If you see a man named Qrow, do not engage him. Do not let him know about the girls."

Jaune blinked. "Why?"

"He will kill them. If he doesn't, Raven will."

Raven. Yang's mother. Jaune sighed.

Then a question occurred to him. "Why are you here? Why didn't Salem try to turn you into a hybrid? Kidnap your daughters?"

Summer raised her head. "I'm here, I can only guess, to test Ruby. Salem never felt the need to explain herself. The reason why we're both here, however." Summer brought her hands up to her blindfold. "Do you know the tale of Silver Eyed Warriors?"

Jaune reached back into his memory, trying to recall if he had ever heard of such a phrase. With a sad frown he shook his head. Not that it would have done the blindfolded woman any good. "No. I don't think I have."

"Ruby, and I myself, are Silver Eyed Warriors. I can only guess that Salem wanted to see if her infernal scheme could corrupt our power and render it inert. She captured Ruby because she was too young to use the power at the time, and she couldn't use me," Summer grasped the blindfold. With a tight tug, she forced it down. "Because it wouldn't have mattered either way."

Jaune, in all his time here, still had to count this as one of the most horrific sights he saw. Summer's eyes were burned out, what was left sewn back together. They looked, for whatever it was worth, clean, but still horrific. Jaune's voice caught in his throat as Summer fixed her blindfold back.

"She keeps me healthy. Makes sure I move around, feeds me. I can only guess why, maybe to keep me as close as Ruby could remember. But Salem took my eyes during my capture. Too much of a liability, even for her. I'm sure Qrow must think I'm dead, the blood that was left behind." Summer laughed, a soft, bitter laughter. "Tai must have killed himself by now. I truly have nothing left in this world but Ruby. And Salem has made sure that she's as far away from me as the moon is from its reflection in a lake."

"I'm," Jaune felt fresh tears, and renewed outrage bubble up. "I'm so, so-!"

She cut him off. "Please. If you can make Ruby smile, if you can make Yang just a bit happier...please. Do that much for them." She lowered her head as she returned to the ground. "When you die, die for them. That's all I can ask. I wish I could do as much."

Jaune wanted to save them. He wanted to save her. But, could he truly promise that to this woman? This woman who suffered so much, for so long? He closed his eyes. "I will. I promise, I will never make them cry."

"Maybe you can keep that one." Summer's head shifted. "Leave, Jaune."

Before he could ask why, Salem stepped out from the darkness. Fear, hate and every negative, ugly emotion he ever felt came to the surface all at once. Yet, here he was without armor, without weapons, standing even less of a chance of doing anything than usual. Salem smiled at him.

"You've been doing well, Jaune. I'm very proud of you." She looked down at Summer, resting a hand on her head. "Run along now, I have to speak with my guest."

"If you-!" Jaune suddenly found Seer Grimm grabbing him up by his limbs, dragging him up the stairs. "Salem!"

She smiled as Jaune was dragged away. "He's a sweet boy. Very emotional. He's done wonders for Ruby, you would be so proud. Maybe not of how often he's fornicated with her, but..."

Summer rose to her feet, glaring at the woman without the eyes she long ago lost. "Are you here to kill me?"

"Of course not. That will be Ruby's job, when she returns."

Abruptly he was thrown out into the hall, unharmed and untouched. Screaming, he punched the stone floor, shattering it.

"Do mind your little temper tantrums, Mr. Arc," the dry accent of Watts called out.

Jaune sprung to his feet, heart jackhammering in his chest. Watts was carrying a pack, holding it out to him. "You're not here to-?"

Again he was cut off. "Child, I have better things to do with my time than to entertain your sadomasochistic need for punishment. Within is your new gear and weapons, take them and prepare. You will be expected to leave soon."

He shoved the pack into Jaune's arms. The weight surprised him. Turning to leave, he stopped for a moment. "I was unable to fashion you a new shoulder pauldron in time, so you will have to make do with one. I considered adding gold trim to this new armor of yours, but it seemed a touch gouache. Enjoy, Mr. Arc, and do us all proud."

Somehow the man managed to sneer those final words.

Jaune fell back against a wall, sinking to the ground. Even here, even now, so close to something like freedom, he was still Salem's pawn.

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Ruby was nervous. Not about going to the Kingdom of Vale. No, she wouldn't be nervous as long as she had Jaune by her side. A real life human, and more than just that, a human who loved her, would ensure that she was able to fit in and succeed there. No, her reasons for being nervous were far more personal.

Her mother had summoned her.

As Ruby ascended the steps, she wondered what it was that Salem wished to speak to her about. It couldn't have been concerning Jaune's true nature. After all, Salem would have been the first to know out of everyone that he wasn't one of her children. She would have been the one who allowed him to attend this school in the first place. So the question was, why was she being summoned so close to their departure for Vale?

Maybe she had grown too close to a human? But would that make sense considering her mission in life? A mission to infiltrate the kingdoms of men and get close to humans? Then again, those missions were all just ruses. She and her siblings would merely be playing roles in a greater plan. Her love for Jaune on the other hand was genuine. And maybe that was the problem.

She swallowed hard. She hoped against hope that Salem would not tell her that she couldn't love Jaune. That she couldn't be with him. That what they had was wrong, and that his life did not play a part in her plan.

Her plan.

A plan which revolved around hatred. Negativity. Destruction. Ruby had been having her doubts about the merit of such a plan. Why hate when love was the better way? Love had made Ruby finally feel at peace with herself and her life. Love had brought a human and a Grimm hybrid together when her natural instinct should have been to kill him. Love had brought Yang back to her when the girl's Aura had been unlocked. Love was the right way. Not whatever Salem's plan was.

A chill ran through her body. Did her mother know? Did she know that Ruby had her doubts? Would she be punished for daring to go against her mother's wishes, even only in thought?

She would soon find out. The doors to Salem's chamber stood closed before her. All she needed was the prompt to enter.

It came eerily in sync with when Ruby's feet came to stand upon the final step of the staircase. The door slowly opened inward as if a stiff breeze moved it, and the redhead took it as her cue to step inside. Like so many other places in the academy, dark candles lit a room bathed in the swirling red and purple light of the sky. Sparse pieces of black furniture, carved from obsidian itself, stood in the center of the room. There, all the way on the other side, Salem stood with her back to the new arrival, looking out a window with her hands clasped behind her back.

"Ruby," the woman greeted in an almost motherly tone. One which betrayed her position as the Queen of the Grimm. "Thank you for coming."

Queen of the Grimm. Only now did Ruby remember that she was still in her human form. Should she perhaps revert back to her true form in front of her mother? Would appearing human before her be some sort of offense to the woman who created her?

She didn't get a chance to transform before Salem turned around, glowing red eyes regarding the girl before her. "You look lovely today, my child."

Ruby felt butterflies in her stomach. Apparently her human form did not bother Salem in the slightest. "T-thank you," the girl replied meekly.

Salem glided toward her, unseen feet concealed by a long, flowing black dress. Ruby wondered if she was even walking at all, or if some sort of magic moved her instead.

"Do you have any questions concerning your mission to Vale?"

Questions? The only questions Ruby had were concerning the very nature of their existence. Why choose hate over love? Why choose destruction over protecting those you care for? Of course she could not bring up such philosophical nonsense to Salem. Even if there was time for it, she wasn't sure how the woman would react to the challenge.

"Uh, nope," Ruby said. "I think we're good."

A warm smile graced Salem's lips. "Very well. Rest assured, Ruby, you are in good hands on your mission. Jaune will look after you, Yang, and Weiss."

Positivity welled in Ruby's stomach. Yes. Jaune would be there for her. Just as she was there for him. "Because he's human, right?"

The smile on Salem's face did not waver. "Yes. He has played his role here to perfection. The fact that you did not murder him on the spot when you learned that he was human proves that. He was able to influence you and your sisters in a way that mere classroom education would have never been able to duplicate. He has helped you all foster the humanity within you."

Ruby couldn't help but smile herself. Yes, Jaune had certainly done that. He had found a lonely, savage girl and made a human out of her. Where she had once dined exclusively on raw meat and bone marrow, now she enjoyed the delicacies of human cuisine. Especially cookies. She desperately wanted to eat cookies once they got to Vale. Apparently there was such a vast variety of flavors and recipes that it would be impossible to try them all in one sitting. She couldn't wait to enjoy more of what humanity had to offer.

"I really like him," she admitted embarrassedly.

Salem came to stand before her, and a delicate white hand came up to Ruby's chin. She raised the girl's head so that the two could stand eye to eye. "I know you do. And for his services to my cause, he will be rewarded."

Silver eyes lit up. "Rewarded? How?"

"You're special, my child. As a result your bond with Jaune is second to none. I'm sure he feels the same way about you."

Heat crept up on Ruby's face, her skin darkening from the sudden flow of blood. To not only be praised as special, but to have her special bond with Jaune acknowledged, made her blood pump and her heart flutter.

"Maybe," she agreed, her tone bashful and low.

Salem's fingers left Ruby's chin, and the woman turned around, walking back over to one of the windows in the room. "When you return from your mission to Vale, I will personally see to it that the two of you are married. I will preside over the ceremony myself."

Ruby's breath caught in her throat. Married! She and Jaune were going to be married! By Salem herself!

Wait, what was married?

"Does this sound acceptable to you, Ruby? An appropriate reward for the boy's services?"

It _sounded_ acceptable. Salem apparently thought it was. She made it seem like a big deal. Ruby wasn't about to question it by admitting she didn't know what it was. She didn't want Salem to dare reconsider the offer.

Ruby nodded furiously. "Yes. Yes, mother. Very acceptable! I can't wait to marry Jaune!"

Never mind the fact that she didn't know what she was accepting. Jaune would, however. She wondered if he would agree to such a thing, knowing what getting married was.

Salem turned back around to regard her creation. "Very good."

Ruby smiled and nodded, her gaze falling to the floor after acknowledging her mother's approval. One could never stare for too long into the intense crimson eyes of Salem. Even her own children.

"Thank you," the hybrid offered timidly. "We won't disappoint you in Vale." Even if Ruby secretly wondered if that meant choosing the wrong path.

"I know you won't. Now hurry along. It's a long flight to Vale."

Ruby nodded and turned to leave. Her chosen teammates were probably waiting for her as it was. She didn't think any of them had a special audience with Salem scheduled. Unless maybe she planned to marry Weiss and Yang to Jaune as well? Somehow, despite not knowing what it was, Ruby didn't think that was the case. It seemed to be because he shared a special bond with herself that he didn't with any of the others.

Not even stupid Blake being the one to get his stupid first kiss. Or stupid Weiss being the one to stupidly mate with him first. None of that mattered. What she herself shared with Jaune went far beyond physical affection. They had an emotional bond that went deeper than any of the other girls. _That_ was probably why Salem would marry the two of them.

Just before reaching the door, Ruby was stopped in her tracks by her mother's voice. "And Ruby."

She pivoted on her heel to face the Queen once more. "Yeah?"

"You are going to make me so proud," Salem said warmly. "I can't wait to see what you're capable of."

Ruby didn't know how or why, but she wasn't about to turn down praise from her mother. "Thank you. I'll do my best. I promise."

"I know you will, child. I know you will."

Salem turned back, and Ruby took this as her cue that it was okay to leave. She stepped outside the doors and breathed a sigh of relief. All in all, that had been a very nice talk. Salem even approved of her and Jaune being together! And getting married! She couldn't wait to tell Jaune!

She only hoped that he would agree that it was a good thing.

* * *

"Jaune, what's married?"

Jaune had heard and seen a lot of strange things since coming to this school. But hearing Ruby's question still caught him off guard.

He turned to regard the curious silver eyes of the girl next to him. They stared up at him, innocence and wonderment radiating from her as her question hung in the air.

"What?" he asked in turn.

"Married," she repeated. "What does it mean to be married?"

It was an odd question. Not simply because of the content of it, but just because... well, they were in the middle of something.

Jaune along with Ruby, Weiss, and Yang were strolling outside along a long and narrow platform which led to the air ship landing pad. Like the heroes in an action movie walking in slow motion as they approached the transportation which would take them on their final mission. To the climax of the third and final act.

The last time Jaune had been here was when Tyrian had taken him out to fight in the wild lands. To live or die at the claws and fangs of the creatures of Grimm. Live he had, along with a whole slew of things. He had unlocked his Aura. He had discovered his Semblance. Jaune Arc had transformed into a vulnerable, useless human into someone who could protect himself. He had grown so much since that day. He could hardly believe that months had passed by. He could hardly believe that he was finally going home.

For now, at least...

"Marriage," he started, not quite knowing where to go with it.

To him it was such a simple concept that it needed no explanation. For a Grimm hybrid, however, who was perfectly comfortable with having a relationship similar to a pride of lions, would the idea of monogamy and pledging oneself to another for life be alien to her?

"It figures that a child like you wouldn't know what marriage is," Weiss interjected.

Or maybe not. Apparently Weiss knew what it was. If he had to guess Yang did as well. Maybe it was only Ruby who wasn't in the know. As advanced as she was in some areas, she was also lacking in real world knowledge compared to her sister.

"What is it then, Weiss?" Ruby challenged. Apparently she had not taken the other girl's slight well. "If you're so smart."

The white-haired girl nodded confidently. "Marriage. Also known as the old ball and chain."

Jaune raised his eyebrows. In all honesty he was surprised Weiss was familiar with such an idiom. "I'm impressed, Weiss."

Weiss stuck her nose up in the air, as haughty as ever. "You underestimate me, Jaune. I'll have you know that my extensive research of human customs knows no limitations."

No limitations, sure. But there was often a major disconnect between Weiss' interpretation of her studies and reality.

"What does a ball and chain have to do with anything?" Ruby asked.

"From my understanding, once a male is married to a female he is given a large ball and chain to wield," she explained. "Presumably in order to protect his new Mate and offspring from outside threats. The ball and chain may also be worn on the ankle as a status symbol to show other females that he has been claimed."

A grin was quickly creeping onto Jaune's face. Never change, Weiss. Never change.

"The ankle clasp may also be painted gold. This is what's known as a wedding band. The female will wear a matching golden ankle clasp studded with precious stones."

"Whoa, that's so cool," Ruby breathed in amazement. Her attention returned to Jaune. "That means Salem's going to give you a brand new weapon?"

Wait, what? "A new weapon?"

"Yeah. A ball and chain now in addition to your sword. I guess it's important to have options when it comes to protecting your Mate."

Jaune was seriously lost now. "Wait, how did this turn into me getting a ball and chain?"

"Because we're getting married, duh!"

Jaune stopped. With him the three others did as well. "What?"

Ruby smiled and nodded. "Yeah! Salem said that when we come back she's going to marry us! Isn't that great?"

Married? At his age? To... a Grimm hybrid? Jaune wasn't about to start getting cold feet about being in a relationship with both Ruby and Weiss, but marriage? Would that even be legally binding?

He loved Ruby. He loved her dearly. But the idea of marriage was something that had never even crossed his mind. And now that it had, he didn't even know if it was possible. But apparently it was. Apparently if Salem herself had said so, then it was a fully approved concept for both her and the hybrids.

She seemed excited about it. He didn't want to rain on her parade, especially before they would be taking a long flight to Vale. "That sounds great," he agreed.

The redhead grabbed onto his arm with hers, pressing herself against him and hugging him tight. Her head came to rest on his shoulder. "She said it was your reward for doing such a good job."

A good job. A good job as a human surviving in this monstrous place. The words were unsaid, but Jaune knew what was implied. He had been brought here to perform a duty. To aid Ruby and everyone else in their training and education. They had all come such a long way since he arrived. He had done an admirable job in his assigned task. Apparently this was his reward.

He supposed it was better than being disposed of once his purpose was fulfilled. It was a better fate than what had happened to Summer...

Jaune shook his head. At the moment there was nothing he could do about that problem. He would save Summer, but for now he had to focus on Ruby. He had to focus on those he actually could protect. Summer would come later. Right now he had to make Ruby and her own happiness his top priority.

Jaune decided to play off Ruby's words as the lie he had perpetuated since day one. Of being the strongest hybrid in the school. "Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense. Being the strongest _hybrid_ and all."

Ruby's head came up before she looked up into his eyes. A knowing smile crept on her lips. She was in on the lie. She was in the know of what he had just said.

"Yup. The biggest, strongest, and best hybrid I know..."

Time seemed to stand still as he gazed into those loving silver eyes of hers. Getting married to Ruby? Even if it turned out to be little more than a shotgun wedding on Salem's part, he knew that he could do far worse than her. Ruby loved him for him, and he loved her for her. It transcended the fact that he was a human and she was a hybrid.

But what was Salem's game here? Why would she promise to marry Ruby to him when they returned? There was something he was missing. He just couldn't fathom what.

A sudden pressure from beneath his and Ruby's linked arms separated them, and to his surprise a head of White hair sprang up in between them like a submarine surfacing from the ocean's waves.

"Excuse me, but where do you get off discussing marriage with Ruby and not myself?" Weiss asked disdainfully. "As your first mate, I believe that I should be in this discussion."

Weiss stood between them now as they walked. A look past her revealed a confused, but surprisingly not angry expression on Ruby's face. Jaune refocused on Weiss, wanting to resolve whatever jealousy issues she seemed to have.

"Is getting married something you want too?" he asked.

The girl nodded. "If Salem plans on officially making you and Ruby Mates for life then I wish to become one as well."

Mates for life. It seemed that despite her ball and chain misunderstanding, Weiss did indeed know what the concept of marriage truly entailed.

Again he looked at Ruby. She didn't seem displeased by the idea. The pack mentality of the hybrids struck again, it seemed. Official relationships or not, they appeared fine with the idea of sharing.

"You guys are so gross," a surprisingly quiet Yang spoke up. "Next you'll be talking about having kids."

Kids. Weiss had apparently been so into the idea of baring his children that she had constructed a nest. Never mind that she seemed to be completely clueless about how the process actually went. Her knowledge was a mishmash of factual information from not only human reproduction, but that of a number of different animals as well. It would probably come as quite a surprise to Weiss that children were not born of eggs. That a snipe was not involved at all. Rather, it involved nine hard months of carrying the child inside of her before a painful birth.

Would Weiss be so into the idea if she realized the harsh truth of what came with pregnancy?

"Indeed," Weiss agreed. "And I have already decided that the first son I bare shall be named Jaune 2."

"Jaune 2?" he questioned.

"Precisely. A worthy name to carry on your legacy of strength and power. Wouldn't you agree?"

He wouldn't. He was about to suggest that his hypothetical son simply be named Jaune Jr., but was cut off before such an explanation could be voiced.

"Look, I'm gonna start gagging if you guys talk about your little brats the whole way to Vale," Yang said. "Can't you just talk about something normal like fucking for the fun of it instead of making kids?"

Sure, Yang. Because that kind of conversation was _normal._

"Very well," Weiss agreed. Her attention returned to him. "Jaune, I wish to discuss with you a potential schedule so that Ruby and I may most efficiently share you. Or at the very least, come up with a solution so that we do not need to fight over lower horn rights while mating with you at the same time. Our post-dance intimacy was a fiasco that I do not wish to replicate any time soon."

Stepping up into the Bullhead, Jaune sighed.

Yeah. This was going to be a long flight. For their pilot Hazel's sake, he hoped that they wouldn't insist on joining the mile high club today.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Oops I did it again. I meant to get this out yesterday, but was unable to do so. But better late than never, right?

Speaking of yesterday, I did post something! Do you like smutty **Nora's Arc**? If you do, then you should definitely check out my new story called **Hands-on Education**! And if you like cracky **White Knight** , I posted a new one shot called **Jaune's Schneecret Admirer** last week too!

Now that the self-promotion is out of the way, I want to thank everyone for reading. And thanks to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** as always for their contributions, no matter how big or small they may be from chapter to chapter.

Weiss' ball and chain misunderstanding is one of my favorites. I don't know why, but I just love it. I love her ignorance as a whole. She's always a joy to write.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, as well as the rest of the chapter, as much as I did. Let me know if you did! Thanks.


	22. Chapter 22

Civilization. Home.

Jaune peered out the window to see the city fast approaching. The Bullhead that he and his friends rode in was descending onto one of the many landing pads in Vale's air ship terminal. He was so close, yet so far. With his luck word would have spread that he was leading a team of Grimm hybrids on an infiltration mission, and he would be shot out of the sky just inches before touching down.

He shook the errant thought from his mind. No. For better or for worse, he was back among his own kind. Humanity. Though whether he was actually safe or not, he couldn't say. After all, he was collaborating with a twisted monster woman who could control the forces of Grimm. If that wasn't cause for being arrested, and potentially worse, he didn't know what was.

The feeling of the ship landing sent a jolt of electricity through his heart. He had made it. He had actually made it. Landing was believing. A part of him was tempted to leap out of the Bullhead right now and kiss the very ground he stood on. Yet another part of him, a smarter part, knew there was no cause for this.

Despite being back in Vale, Jaune was still a prisoner. He couldn't abandon these girls. Everything Tyrian said to him before leaving had stuck with him. Even if it would be easy to run off and tell someone in charge at Beacon about the hybrids in hopes of saving them, he didn't trust they actually would. After all, who could cure what Salem had done to them? It's not like anyone here in Vale possessed the kind of magic she did. And even if somebody did, he didn't trust that the girls would let him save them either. Maybe Ruby. But not the others.

Like it or not he was stuck with them. For better or for worse. In sickness and in health. Just like a marriage. Marriage. Apparently Ruby was going to be married to him. Somehow that fact hadn't sunk in yet. Like he had to actually make it back to that awful place first before it could happen.

He'd never go back there if he could help it. That was his plan. Find some way, any way, to convince them to remain here. To convince them that being human was better. That they could start a new life here and leave the past behind. It was the only play he had.

"Get moving," the gruff voice of Hazel sounded to his passengers. "Make your way to Beacon and check in with Cinder. She's in charge from here on out."

Only Weiss bothered to verbally respond to the command, and she was first down the ship's retractable staircase. Yang went after her. Ruby lingered around at the top of the steps, looking back to Jaune to make sure he was coming.

The boy smiled at her. "Right behind you, Ruby."

She beamed and nodded before turning to descend down the stairs herself. Before he followed, Jaune turned back to Hazel in the pilot's chair. "So why didn't you drop us off at Beacon with the others?"

The man grunted. "Reasons."

"Personal reasons?"

Hazel sent a chilling glare his direction. The man normally didn't get angry. But right now Jaune could see that there was something boiling under the surface. "Reasons," he said deliberately.

Deciding not to press the issue, Jaune nodded. "Right. Well, see ya later."

Hopefully never again.

Jaune received no reply as he hefted his bag and carried it with him down the steps. Boots hit concrete. Home. He really was finally home.

The gathered quartet stood in place for a moment. Weiss and Ruby were busy looking around, taking in every sight possible. Yang, the girl who had supposedly been on missions to the kingdoms before, looked unimpressed.

Well, no time like the present. Jaune looked around at his charges before taking a deep breath. "Let's get moving."

The three girls agreed, and fell in line with Jaune as they made their way toward the massive building that was the air ship terminal. As they neared Jaune could see how it was packed with travelers, a common issue when it came to air travel. He also realized just how taxing this could be for someone unfamiliar with the environment.

The first hint was when someone grabbed hold of his hand. Looking over, he saw that it was Ruby. She pressed herself close to his body, squeezing down hard on his fingers as her head moved back and forth. Looking to all the passersby going about their business. Blissfully unaware that they were being watched by a Grimm-human hybrid who wanted to tear their throats out.

"There's so much negativity," Ruby whispered. "So much panic. Anger. Frustration."

Yeah. That sounded like an air terminal all right. Everyone was so stressed out about catching their flight. It was a breeding ground for negativity.

A glance over at Yang showed that she didn't seem to be having any adverse side effects. That just left Weiss. He didn't trust Weiss any more than he did Ruby. So Jaune did the only thing that came to mind.

Reaching out, he grabbed hold of Weiss' dainty hand much like Ruby had his and pulled her close to him. Weiss' mouth moved to protest, but was silenced when an arm came to wrap around her exposed stomach and a hand came to rest on her bare midriff. Jaune still wondered why in the world Cinder had chosen those odd bandaged outfits for the girls, but right now there were bigger concerns on his mind.

"I need you both to stay calm," he told the girls at his side. "Remember your training and studies. Don't let the negativity overwhelm you."

He felt Ruby nod as she leaned her head on his shoulder. A glance over to Weiss showed no such movements, but her hand came up to rest on his even as it rested on her stomach. Their fingers intertwined with each other. Perhaps that was her affirmative sign.

"Humans are truly miserable creatures," Weiss commented. "How have they survived this long if they're such beacons of negativity?"

"This is kind of a special place. Air ship terminals are where misery and negativity are born."

Jaune wanted to laugh. It sounded almost poetic. Deep in a way. But it was the truth.

"Eh, you're a bunch of wimps," Yang stated nonchalantly. "Boo hoo, a little human negativity. Nothing you can't ignore once you get used to it."

"Yeah, but we _aren't_ ," her sister protested. "This is our first time, Yang."

The blonde girl hummed. "I suppose."

"You're doing great," Jaune told both girls at his side. Still, that didn't mean he wanted to be in this place any longer than he had to be. His legs were moving as quickly as they could to get through the terminal, and it was a wonder the shorter girls could keep up. "We're almost out of here."

Moving through the crowd with two identically-dressed girls clinging to his side must have surely made Jaune stand out. But right now he didn't care. All he was concerned with was making it out to the street. From there they could relax. Get acclimated to Vale. And only when they were ready would they return to make the final leg of the journey to Beacon.

Pushing through the last of the doors, the sweet taste of fresh air greeted Jaune's lungs. Already the crowds had started to thin, and he could feel himself becoming more at ease. He imagined the girls were as well. Getting away from the negativity of crowds of stressed humans would do wonders for their mental states.

However, now the real test began. Downtown Vale was a whole different animal from the controlled environment of an air ship terminal. They were alone in the big city. Cars zipped past. All manner of people strode the sidewalks. Buildings of all shapes and sizes surrounded them. For at least two of the girls, this was a whole new world.

And it showed.

Ruby and Weiss' heads were on swivels as they looked all around in complete awe. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like to see this level of civilization for the first time, but he would be with them for it every step of the way. Him holding them close was more than just a sign of affection, after all. It was to help keep them firmly grounded. To ensure that their baser instincts didn't take control. To try and overpower their negative urges with positivity. With affection. With love.

Perhaps distracting them would help as well. "So, girls. What do you want to do first?"

He only really expected Yang to answer, her being the most knowledgeable and experienced of the group other than himself. So he was surprised when it was Ruby who spoke first.

"I'm hungry," she complained.

The flight had been a long one. His prepared snacks had apparently not been enough. Not when it came to a hybrid's diet.

"Yes, I'm quite famished," Weiss agreed. "A meal sounds like a wonderful idea."

Jaune turned to Yang next. His fellow blonde merely shrugged her shoulders. "Sure. Food sounds great."

He smiled and nodded. And appreciated the fact that she wore a different outfit from the other two. Her Haven Academy uniform came complete with a black jacket and black plaid skirt. They apparently all had the outfits in their luggage, but only Yang had chosen to wear it. Maybe she realized how awkward it would have been to try and contain her generous bust in that bandage-like top Cinder purchased for them all.

"What about that place?" Yang pointed to. The sign as well as the fluorescent lighting in the window indicated it was a burger place.

"That one has pleasant aromas coming from it," Weiss said as she tugged on his arm, pulling him the opposite direction from where Yang had pointed. Seafood was apparently Weiss' preference based on smells alone.

"Okay, okay, everyone stay together," he said, putting his heels to the pavement and grinding Weiss to a halt. "Don't go wandering off on your own. There's time to see everything." _And eat it,_ his mind finished.

It felt to Jaune like he was a chaperone on a school field trip trying to herd the children together. But he wouldn't let their innocent naivety fool him. They were all vicious killers. Ones that needed to be kept in check at all times around humans.

"Let's let Jaune choose the place," Ruby suggested. She peered up at him with a bright smile on her face. "I think he'll know what's best."

That sneaky little...

Of course Ruby would suggest such a thing. She was the only one who knew the truth, after all. He would indeed know the best places to get human food, being a human and all. Jaune couldn't help but grin down at the adorable little cinnamon bun at his side. He could just get lost in those gleaming pools of light that were her silver eyes. Those beautiful, mirrored eyes.

For a brief moment he did. Until he felt something hit him in the arm.

Turning his head, he saw Weiss with her head lowered in mid-stride, and her forehead butted against him once again. Was she...

"Weiss, you don't have your horn in your human form, remember?"

"And?"

He blinked. "So... stop headbutting me."

"Don't tell me what to do!" She attacked him again as a point of emphasis.

Jaune sighed. It didn't hurt. But it was just really annoying. Not to mention attention-drawing...

"Weiss, people are staring at us," he muttered.

"I am asserting dominance!" she exclaimed.

Yeah. He knew all about that already. But without the horn it really lost its impact.

His hands came out to rest on Weiss' shoulders, preventing her from hitting him again. "If you're going to insist on... asserting dominance over me, at least use your finger to poke me."

Weiss drew a single finger out of her left hand, presenting it up to him like a fencer might do with her blade before a duel. "Very well, Jaune. If you desire me to finger you I shall do just that."

"Please don't phrase it like that."

"Too late," Weiss said, poking him in the shoulder with a finger. "I shall finger you whenever I please in order to show that I am the dominate one in our relationship."

"Hey, you do _not_ own him!" Ruby squawked. She leveled a finger threateningly in Weiss' direction. "Don't make me have to finger you in order to protect my claim!"

Jaune suddenly regretted replacing horns with fingers when it came to hybrid duels of dominance. But it still beat them sprouting horns in the middle of Vale in order to settle their differences.

"If it's a finger war you desire, then I shall be more than happy to provide! I will finger you into submission, Ruby!"

"No one's fingering anyone!" Jaune shouted.

Much to the confusion of those around them.

The boy shrank in on himself, only brought out of his embarrassment by Yang's cackling. At least one person here wasn't making a complete ass of herself.

"No, no, by all means," she struggled to say through giggling breaths. "Please go on about how you're all going to finger each other."

Jaune shook his head, a frustrated breath slipping through his lips. "Let's just get some food."

Silver and blue eyes remained locked with one another for a few moments. Thankfully in the end cooler heads prevailed, as did hungrier stomachs. The two girls both relaxed, lowering their fingers as if to indicate that there would be no duel today. A part of Jaune actually wanted to see how they would go about fighting one another with just their fingers.

Maybe later. Maybe in the safety of their room at Beacon Academy.

"Agreed," Weiss stated. "The only question is, which establishment shall we visit?"

Looking around, there was a plethora of options available here. Some better than others. Some cheaper than others as well. In the end, price didn't matter. The girls having a good time did. Who would have thought that picking the right restaurant would amount to this much pressure?

* * *

As it turned out, money could indeed buy happiness. At least if you were these girls. It was a good thing Hazel had set them up with a generous allowance of lien for their time in Vale.

Jaune had ultimately decided on a nice little restaurant known as the Silver Steer. He had never been there himself. He had never even heard of it before. However, it best greasy human fast food. It also wasn't so classy of a place that he and his cohorts would be turned away due to their... unique attire. Nope, this place was as middle of the road as it came. No shirt and no shoes may have been a problem, but bandage tops and combat boots were perfectly acceptable.

It had a lovely outdoor patio section for diners that Jaune jumped on. At the very least it would be a bit less stifling than being inside a crowded restaurant of people. The weather was pleasant enough as well, and after being cooped up in Salem's school for months he wanted to take advantage of this.

Being seated at a table for four, the quartet were handed menus. For a moment Jaune wondered if the hybrids were even literate, but such doubts were soon dispelled as they opened the things and began reading. At least that was one awkward conversation they didn't need to have.

"So, Jaune," Ruby spoke, breaking the brief silence that had settled over them. "What would you recommend?"

What indeed. What human food might a group of Grimm hybrids enjoy? Yang had been partial toward hamburgers. Weiss' nose directed her to seafood. What about Ruby herself? She'd probably just go with whatever he recommended, to be honest.

Scanning up and down the menu he sought something they would all likely enjoy. What might that be? He racked his brain trying to use his months of experience cooking for the girls to find something appropriate.

Then it hit him. A memory of food that wasn't cooked at all. His first exposure to the dining habits of hybrids. They loved meat. And they loved it bloody and raw. At least until he introduced them to cooking. This would be a fine compromise.

"Steak," he said with confidence. "Rare, bloody steak."

A satisfied smirk curled on Yang's lips. "Now you're speaking my language."

"Steak is cow, correct?" Weiss asked.

He nodded. "Yup. In the human kingdoms meats have different names depending on what animal it comes from or what part of the body it is. So steak is cow meat."

"What part of the body does it come from?"

The question gave Jaune pause. The truth was he didn't know. But if there was one thing he knew about Weiss, it was that he had to keep up appearances around her. Otherwise she would attempt to take the lead, which with her would lead to all sorts of incorrect knowledge being spewed.

"Uh, the... flank." He thought that was a word at least. Something to do with the side of an animal. Either way, she wouldn't know any better.

Weiss gave a nod of her own. "Very well. Cow flank it shall be."

All four were in agreement, and soon enough a waiter came to take their orders. Jaune ordered for the four of them, after all, they were all getting the same dish. They were all getting it prepared the same. Rare. Having each girl struggle to make their own decisions alone could have been awkward. He played it off as a learning experience so that they would know how to properly behave themselves in a restaurant setting.

Jaune wondered what would have happened had he not been here. Who would have taken the lead? Yang? Weiss? The former could probably pull it off with her experience. The latter would have been a disaster of misunderstandings.

The buzzing of light conversation sounded all around them, but for the most part the girls seemed unaffected. Ruby and Weiss still took it upon themselves to take in all the sights they could, but for the most part they seemed comfortable with their situation. Maybe because both girls had a place at his side.

Appetizers arrived first. The soup of the day came with their steak meals. Luckily the girls seemed to all know to use spoons to enjoy the dish. Of course. He recalled Weiss eating some sort of... eyeball soup one of the first times he had seen her in the cafeteria.

"So what do you think Beacon will be like?" Ruby asked after sipping some of the broth from her spoon. "It's a school, right? For huntsmen?"

"Indeed," Weiss confirmed. "Which means we must keep our guard up at all times. These soldiers of humanity would eradicate us all if they ever had the opportunity."

"Not if we kill them first," Yang grinned knowingly.

Jaune remembered her shotgun. A trophy taken from a huntsman, apparently. The hybrid was speaking from experience.

"Let's make that a, um, last resort," Jaune said. He had to steer the conversation away from violence. "Hey! I heard that since we're all on a team that we share the same room. That's pretty cool."

"Not much of a difference considering you three already share a room," the blonde girl pointed out.

"Right. But you'll be with us now, Yang."

"What, are you inviting me to share your bed too?" she smirked.

"Huh? No I was just-"

"I know I'm irresistible and all, but you gotta remember I'm Ruby's sister. That sort of thing may fly in the human world, but I'm not interested in doing anything like that alongside my own blood."

"Yang I really wasn't-"

"Fine by me," Ruby interrupted. "Sharing with Weiss is already hard enough. There wouldn't be room for you in our bed anyway."

"Girls can we not discuss this in pu-"

"Who says I'd share? It'd be nothing to kick you and Weiss out and take your place next to Jaune."

"Violence really isn't the ans-"

"Excuse me?" Weiss snapped, raising a finger in challenge. "If it's a fingering you're after I will be more than willing to duel you for a spot in Jaune's bed."

"Trust me, Weiss," Yang smiled. "I'd never be interested in fingering you."

"Oh look, food!" Jaune suddenly cried out.

Thankfully their waiter was carrying a large platter of plates in one hand alongside a light, foldable table in the other. The device was set up and the platter placed on it so that he could begin serving the foursome.

With all their meals being the same it didn't take long. Soon enough four hot plates filled with meat and fried potatoes were sitting in front of each of them. All bickering had ceased as they stared down at the tantalizing food.

"Now, mind your manners," Weiss ordered. "Remember we are expected to eat with our silverware rather than our hands."

Ruby nodded in affirmation. Yang probably already know. Jaune of course knew. He was just happy Weiss hadn't said anything weird.

"Now then, where is the cow fork?"

Or not.

"Cow fork?"

"Yes," she nodded. "There are salad forks. Soup spoons. Steak knives. Where is the cow fork?"

"I don't think that's a thing." He knew it wasn't. But it was best to let her down easily.

"There are specialized utensils for eating our appetizers and cutting our meat, but not for eating the meat itself?"

When she put it like that it was a little unusual. But it was the truth.

"Yup."

She hummed. "Humans really are such odd creatures."

As she said that she dipped her fingers into the potted plant that stood near to her. Grabbing a pinch of dirt from it, she lightly sprinkled it atop her steak and potatoes, much to Jaune's wide-eyed horror.

"Weiss..." he said slowly. "What are you doing?"

"Seasoning my steak," she answered matter-of-factly.

Jaune pointed out the small shakers containing salt and pepper in the middle of the table. "There's seasoning here. That's just dirt."

"Yes," she agreed. "A mineral from the ground. Like salt."

"Yeah, but-"

"Salt is a mineral from the ground used to enhance the taste of food, is it not?"

"Well yeah, but-"

"So this is like salt."

There would be no convincing her otherwise. In true Weiss fashion, she had taken knowledge he had given her and twisted it using her own arrogant logic. He sighed. If she wanted to eat steak sprinkled with dirt then so be it.

"All right," he conceded. "But for everyone else salt and pepper is right here."

Truth be told the steaks were seasoned enough to be delicious without the aid of further spices. But he didn't want either Ruby or Yang to mimic Weiss' actions.

Cutting a piece of meat, the white-haired girl slid it off the fork and began chewing. Her face soured, ironic because the dirt must have tasted rather bitter. Still though, she chewed.

"How is it, Weiss?" Yang asked amusedly.

Weiss choked it down before replying. "Delicious," she obviously lied.

As she continued eating he realized that she must have been doing so more out of spite than actual enjoyment. Weiss was someone who hated being wrong. Especially in front of him.

"So is mine," Ruby gushed. Talking with food still being chewed. "I mean not as good as your cooking, Jaune. But still really yummy!"

"Thanks. But there's no way mine is as good as this."

The redhead swallowed. "No, really! Your stuff is way better."

"Yeah I'll bet his meat is better," Yang smirked.

Ruby sent a glare her way before continuing. "Because when you make it there's an ingredient that these guys can't put in."

"And what's that?" he wondered.

"Your love."

The words carried so much weight behind them. Two small words. So simple. Yet they packed the punch of a gun when they hit him.

"Jaune puts his _love_ in his cooking?" Yang questioned. "Gross."

"Not like that, Yang," the boy sighed.

"I don't get it," Weiss complained.

"There's nothing to get. Just forget it."

Weiss held his gaze for a couple seconds before returning to her food.

"But thanks, Ruby," he continued. "Hopefully I'll be able to make some stuff while at Beacon. But if not they have actual human cooks who make stuff for the students and teachers."

"And if not we can always sneak into the kitchen!" She paused, her eyes moving off to the side. "I wonder what Blake's up to right now."

The mention of sneaking into a place did indeed remind him of the elusive stalker. What _was_ she up to right now? How was she handling being in Salem's academy without her favorite toy to play with?

Probably busy Blakeing around. Sad that he wasn't there for her to feast off his anxiety anymore. The thought was disturbingly sad to the boy.

"I don't know," he admitted. _But I won't abandon you either, Blake_ , his mind finished.

"Probably tormenting Wesson," Yang mused.

Poor Wesson. Was there even any saving him? Or was he beyond help? The boy's body was barely human anymore.

"Happy thoughts!" Ruby insisted. "Let's all keep thinking happy thoughts, okay?"

"Easy for you to say."

Jaune was just happy Yang hadn't finished her sentence by calling Ruby a freak. Happy thoughts did come easy for the redheaded hybrid. The one who was so different from the rest.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Let's just enjoy our meal. After that we'll check out some stores. Maybe get a few things before heading to Beacon."

The group readily agreed with the plan. Soon enough their rare steaks were scarfed down. Fries were devoured. If he had to guess, the girls loved human food. It was just one more weapon in his arsenal to convince them to embrace humanity rather than destroy it.

* * *

So this was Jaune's world. This was where he came from. It was so big. So vast. So... much better than her home...

Lunch had been amazing. Humans ate food like that every day? That in itself was incredible. Ruby couldn't imagine ever going back to her old eating habits from before Jaune had arrived. Sure, sucking the marrow out of a nice cow bone was still a guilty pleasure of hers, but things like raw cow or pig fresh off the carcass would no longer do it for her. No, Ruby had developed an insatiable appetite for all things human. Cooked eggs and bacon. Steak. And perhaps the most delectable treat of all, cookies.

Ruby smiled warmly as she walked alongside her sister and friends. Cookies. She was Jaune's little Cookie Monster, after all. She still had to think of a nickname to give to him. Something sensible and sweet. Something which spoke to who he was and what he meant to her. Something personal. But such things couldn't be rushed. Ruby herself had waited a while after he had dubbed Weiss as Snow Angel. Had he rushed his own nickname for her, it might not have been as wonderful as Cookie Monster.

Silver eyes watched as people passed by. There were so many emotions here in the human world. Negativity and positivity alike. For every person she encountered who was filled with envy, greed, and hate, there were those filled with love and hope. Here in the human world there was a delicate balance of all emotions. Not just negativity. Negativity wasn't fostered and nurtured. If anything, people here _wanted_ to be positive. Just like her. They weren't seen as broken or defective.

Eyes trailed off to one of the many little shops that lined the sidewalks in downtown vale. It was a simple little street stand, not at all like the massive windowed establishments where many businesses were housed. It wasn't the shop itself which drew her attention, however. But the people who stood before it.

A man and a woman. Probably somewhere in their mid to late twenties. Smiling. Radiating positivity. They stood side by side, arms linked around one another like she and Jaune might do.

The shop keep behind the counter handed the man something. A metal trinket of some sort, encrusted with what looked to be precious stones. For some reason the woman looked immensely happy about the thing, and her body radiated positivity as her Mate began to fasten it around her wrist. Positivity... along with lust? Interesting. Is this how human Mates expressed affection toward one another? Did they give gifts to each other as signs of love?

She wanted to make Jaune as happy as that woman was...

The redhead instantly found her legs being drawn toward the small shop. Away from the rest of the group, who so far didn't notice her divergence. Coming up to the place just as the pair of happy humans began to leave, Ruby peered over the counter to see a back wall filled with more metal trinkets. There were others too. Some appeared to be made of plastic. Others wood. Some were painted, others bare. Which one would be right for Jaune?

"What can I do for you?" the man behind the counter asked.

Ruby's eyes continued to wander over the vast array of choices that were available to her. Human courtship was nothing like that of her own hybrid culture. It wasn't as simple as establishing dominance over your mate. There were so many options. Feelings had to be considered. What would make your Mate happy?

"Miss?" the man asked.

Ruby shook her head clear of the thoughts. "I... I want to get something for someone I love."

A great smile erupted on his face. "Well then you've come to the right place!" he exclaimed. "I've got something for everyone here. We've got necklaces. Rings. Earrings, bracelets, pendants. Gem options are available with a birthstone for every month. Who's the lucky lady's lover?"

"Oh, um. Jaune."

The man blinked. "Jaune, eh? He sounds like a fine young man. Tell you what, I think I have something in mind for Jaune."

She watched as he gave a few sweeps over the wares on the back wall of his stand. Finally he stopped, and reached up to pluck something down. It looked like a rock to her. A purple one at that.

"Agate," the man said, holding the rock up. It was surrounded by a band of metal and attached to a thin black cord. "Represents strength and courage. Perfect for the big, strong man in your life."

"Well, he is big and strong..." Ruby admitted.

"Perfect! That'll be-"

"But it's a rock," she interrupted. "I can break rocks with my bare hands."

The shop owner stopped in his tracks. It took him a moment, but eventually he continued. "Well yes, it's a stone. But it's what the stone represents-"

"Do you have something strong? And metal?"

Sudden negativity began to emanate from the man before her. Was it fear? Was she being too aggressive? Maybe she should tone it back a little. She didn't want to frighten the human...

Said human turned back around to once more examine his stock. Ruby did the same. She noticed a familiar pattern among the trinkets in his collection.

"That shape," she said, pointing to the strange arch-topped and pointy-bottomed design. "Why do so many of your things have it?"

"A heart?" he asked incredulously. "You don't know what a heart means?"

Ruby shook her head.

"Oh wow that poor guy..." he muttered before shaking his head. "Anyway! A heart is pretty much a universal symbol of love."

She felt a fluttering feeling in her stomach. "Really?"

"Absolutely. Whenever people want to show that they love each other, they use hearts to convey that. It's great symbolism. Kind of feminine too if you ask me, so probably not the best choice for your-"

"I want that," she said pointing to an item behind him.

He turned around to see the item in question. It was beautiful. Big. Perfect. Just like Jaune. Just like their love for one another.

The man picked the item from the wall, holding it up before him as if to examine it himself. The giant heart-shaped piece of metal was attached to a small metal chain. Yes, that would be perfect indeed! It represented both her love for Jaune, while the metal was as strong as the bond they had for one another. It was the best possible symbolism for her feelings for Jaune.

"And... you're sure he'll like this?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's... everything that I could have hoped for in expressing my love for him."

The shop keep's face twisted, and another negative emotion surged out of him. "Well, you know him better than I do," he wound up saying. "If this is your choice, that'll be forty lien."

Ruby blinked before reaching into her pocket. She tossed a number of lien notes onto the counter between herself and the man. She stared down hard at them, trying to remember which ones were which.

Thankfully the nice man helped her, using his hands to separate the ones he needed from the ones she could keep. "There, forty lien," he smiled, handing the pendant over to her. "And for you."

She clasped it in both hands, not just because it was precious to her, but because it would have been hard to fit it in just one palm. A wide grin erupted on her face as she looked down at it.

"Thanks!"

Collecting the rest of her unused lien, Ruby turned to head back to the group.

Where was the group?

Her head went left and right. Where were they? Where had her friends gone?

"Jaune?" she called out. "Jaune! Where are-"

The feeling of something on her shoulder made her spin around in an instant, and she was fully ready to defend herself against the one who wished her harm.

Her face lit up in relief when she realized it was Jaune.

"Jaune, where were-"

She was cut off when he pulled her into a tight embrace. Silver eyes widened briefly before she forced herself to relax. She leaned her head against his chest, wrapping her own arms around his back.

"I told you we had to stay together," he spoke softly into her ear. Pulling back, a pair of concerned blue eyes gazed down at her. Despite the softness in them, she couldn't help but see a small hint of an edge in them as well.

"Well yeah, but I thought you all stopped with me when I saw that place," she motioned over to the shop.

Jaune followed her hand briefly before turning back to her. "What was so important about a jewelry stand?"

Ruby fidgeted briefly, standing in place while her boots scrapped the sidewalk. "Well... I wanted to get you something."

The boy frowned. "Get me something?"

"Yeah. I saw a human purchase a gift for his Mate. And it made her really happy. So... I thought I should get you something."

The fear and anxiety which had been present in Jaune only moments ago seemed to evaporate. Now it was replaced by a familiar positivity. "Ruby, you shouldn't have..."

"But I wanted to." She looked behind Jaune, seeing that Yang and Weiss were a few feet away chatting about something she couldn't make out. Taking a deep breath, she held out her hands and presented her gift to Jaune. "For you."

The blond boy stared down at her hands. His mouth opened slightly. "That's... for me?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yup! The guy told me that hearts represent love. And it's metal, which represents how strong our bond is. Isn't it perfect?"

Jaune took the pendant from her hands and held it up before him. "Oh, yeah," he agreed. "It makes total sense when you put it like that."

A wide grin erupted on her lips. "I knew it! My first day in the human world and I'm already getting good at it!" She took a step toward him, eagerly peering up at his face. "Put it on!"

He nodded this time before unclasping the hook of the chain. Staring down at the heart-shaped metal briefly, he brought the chain behind his neck. For a few seconds his hands lingered there, struggling to reconnect the two ends of the chain behind his neck.

Inspiration struck Ruby. "Oh! Let me help!"

Much like she had seen the two humans do, she assisted Jaune in putting the gift into place on his body. She reached up to the back of his neck and secured the chain around him.

She came back around in front of him, still smiling from ear to ear. "How does it feel?"

A hand came up to heft the thing that hung above his chest. "Nice. And heavy."

"I hope so! I spent forty lien on it."

Jaune's eyes widened. "Forty?"

"Yep! But I mean, we have plenty of lien. Hazel made sure of that. And we could probably always get more, right?"

"Probably..." he agreed.

"But the most important thing is that you like it. And you do like it, right?"

Jaune stared down at the metal heart once more. His gaze there lingered for a few seconds before coming back up to meet hers. "Ruby. You got this for me because you love me."

It appeared to be a statement rather than a question. Regardless, Ruby nodded in agreement. "Yep."

"Then I love it," he said earnestly. "I love it with all my heart."

"Really?"

He smiled at her. "Really, Ruby."

Placing her hands on his shoulders, Ruby leaned up, tilting her head ever so slightly so that she could capture his lips in her own. Silver eyes shut as she neared her target.

And was brought to a screeching halt from a screeching voice.

"What in the world are you doing?" Weiss asked accusingly.

Ruby's feet, only a moment ago standing on her toes, fell back down to the ground completely. Her gift for Jaune was staring right at her face, and in a panic she grabbed hold of it and shoved it underneath his hoodie.

No one could see what she had bought him. Her gift for Jaune was special. No one else needed to know. Or get any ideas to get him something themselves...

"I, um," she panicked.

"You were going to kiss him," the white-haired girl continued, leveling a finger at her. "After we went through so much time and effort to find you after you decided to wander off on your own. The nerve of you, Ruby."

"It wasn't that much time or effort..." Jaune muttered.

"Not the point! She's trying to sneak a kiss with you under my nose. I won't stand for it!"

Jaune sighed. "Yes, dear."

"That's Snow Angel to you, Jaune."

"Yes, Snow Angel." His hand reached up to briefly touch his hoodie. Where underneath a large steel heart rested. "Come on. We should probably head over to Beacon. C- Professor Fall's waiting for us."

Mission accomplished. Ruby beamed with pride knowing that she had done something that made Jaune happy. Who cares if the world couldn't see it? The important thing was that he could feel it. Underneath his hoodie, her gift for him rested even closer to his heart. She smiled at the thought. A heart over his heart.

She wondered what other sorts of human activities they'd be able to do together during their time in Vale.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** With posting this chapter, I've officially surpassed one million words published. It's been quite a ride over these past three years, ever since I first posted Letters to Winter back in August of 2016. And I couldn't have done all this without the readers. All of you and your kind words inspire me to keep writing. Making you happy makes me happy. So I just want to thank you for all that.

I even have tens of thousands of words of unpublished RWBY writing, some of which I do want to post one day. Whether it's the White Knight AU where Weiss became an international pop idol rather than a huntress, or Taiyang and Winter somehow falling in love, I do hope to get those out someday. I just know I can't commit to updating them right now.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun getting back to the fluff of this chapter. Weiss and her steak was a small idea I'd been sitting on for months. It's so brief, but I enjoy it so much because Jaune's the one who taught her about salt in the first place. And then there's adorable Ruby being adorable. I always enjoy writing her.

As always my thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for their continued involvement here. Even when they don't write anything, I love having their input and ideas.

And of course my thanks go out to all you for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoyed it.


	23. Chapter 23

So this was it. Beacon Academy.

As Jaune and his friends strolled along the courtyard, he couldn't help but mimic their behavior when they had been in Vale. Gawking at all the sights around him, Jaune wondered what could have been had he managed to attend this school instead of Salem's academy. What kind of team would he have wound up on? Who would his friends have been? Perhaps the most important question of all, would he have even been accepted, much less survived?

He didn't have Aura when he arrived at Salem's Grimm hybrid school. It was only because he had been thrown to the literal Beowolves that he had unlocked it in the first place. Would he have had a similar trial at Beacon in order to unlock it? Or would he have wound up a statistic of failure, like perhaps many other aspiring huntsman students did?

His eyes were drawn to a statue in the middle of the yard. Two heroes of a past age stood there, a man triumphantly hoisting his sword into the sky. A hooded woman resting the tip of her axe on the ground. Who were they? What incredible acts of heroism must they have committed in order to be immortalized in stone? Could he have one day done something of similar worth?

He would never know. As it turned out, that would not be his course in life. No, his path was far different to what he had ever imagined. A question that had long nagged him, and especially now that he was here at Beacon, would he change things if he had the opportunity?

A tug on his sleeve earned his attention, breaking him from his thoughts. Looking down he saw a pair of silver eyes staring up at him concernedly. They answered his question for him immediately.

"Jaune?" she asked worriedly.

No. He wouldn't change a thing. A different, and perhaps better path would mean never meeting Ruby. Weiss. Blake and Yang. Never having a chance to better their own lives as well. Condemning them to horrific and miserable existences in Salem's realm.

His expression softened, and he smiled down at Ruby. "Yeah?"

She moved close to him, grabbing onto his arm and leaning up to speak softly into his ear. "Are you okay? There's... a lot of negativity coming from you right now."

Sometimes it was hard to remember when they were in their human guises, but they could sense negativity still. They had once mistaken his own fear and apprehension for a pleasant aroma. Attraction. As it turned out, they had become attracted to him for reasons other than their draw to negativity. Except Blake. Blake... was a special case.

Jaune took a deep breath and tried to chase the doubts from his mind. He had to stay strong. Stay positive. For all their sakes.

"Yeah. I'm okay."

Ruby nodded, but didn't release his arm. He was fine with that, but surprised too that Weiss didn't immediately grab onto his other arm in order to make herself 'even' with Ruby.

"Thanks," he offered softly.

She smiled back up at him. He smiled back. Looking down at her, she seemed like just an ordinary girl holding a dog leash. Zwei stood happily next to her, oblivious to the fact that they were on a highly sensitive infiltration mission. Jaune wondered if pets were even allowed at Beacon at all. If they weren't he was sure Ruby would find a way to keep him. She loved that dog, despite the fact that she was a hybrid.

They continued on their way to their true objective. They were to rendezvous with Cinder in room 301 of the exchange student dormitory. At least there they probably wouldn't be running into any of Beacon's staff. Jaune wanted as little interaction with actual authority figures while he was here. It was hard enough to lie for himself and put on a good cover story. But having to do so for Ruby and Weiss as well? That would be taxing.

As they walked, it truly was astounding how different this school was from Salem's. It was like night and day. Literally. The sun was shining down on them, whereas in Salem's realm the sky was a perpetual red-purple twilight which made the passage of time impossible to perceive without the aid of a clock. Here Jaune could breathe in the fresh air. Hear the chirping of birds. The wind rustling the leaves.

After a few minutes they reached their destination, and Yang gave a nice firm pound on the door. It figured. Yang hadn't had anything to punch all day, and a nice, study, wooden door was as good of a target as any when there weren't any opponents around to fight. For that Jaune was thankful.

The door opened, and a familiar dark-skinned face greeted him. Emerald, that was her name, right? Like Yang, she wore the school uniform of Haven Academy. A look inside revealed that Cinder and Mercury did as well. If there was a fourth member of their team, they were not present.

Their professor stood up and motioned them to enter. "Good, you're here. Come inside."

The foursome did as they were instructed, and Emerald shut the door behind them. She moved to sit back down on one of the beds opposite Mercury, while Cinder remained standing. Presumably to be in a more dominant position while she addressed them.

"What took you so long?"

The accusatory question caught Jaune off-guard. True, they had made a couple of stops along the way... but he hadn't thought that getting to Beacon as soon as possible after Hazel dropped them off was that important.

Luckily before he was forced to come up with an excuse, Ruby came to the rescue. In her own awkward way.

"I wasn't buying Jaune a gift!" she blurted out.

Cruel golden eyes stared at the young hybrid. Yet deep down Jaune knew that this woman, no matter how strong she may have been, wouldn't be able to reprimand Ruby no matter how late they were. No, if the reverence from Tyrian was anything to go by, these hybrids, these children of Salem, sat higher on the food chain than even their professors.

"We stopped off for some grub," Yang followed up helpfully. A glance at the blonde showed casual indifference on her face. "Long flight and all. We were hungry."

"Famished," Weiss agreed. "So we enjoyed steak. Rare and bloody, a perfect harmony of human culinary prowess and the natural taste of cow meat fresh off the bone."

Emerald blanched at the description, while Mercury's nose twitched. Clearly those two had never seen a hybrid feed in their 'natural environment'. Cinder meanwhile held an even gaze at her charges. There was no trace of anger on her face. She couldn't stop them from eating, after all.

"Very well," she conceded. "Now that you are here, I am to give you your-"

"Professor Fall? Why are you wearing that?" Ruby asked, pointing a finger at Cinder's clothes.

Their professor glanced down at her Haven Academy uniform before looking back up to Ruby. "A valid question. Starting today I will no longer be your professor. I will be posing as a fellow student from Haven Academy."

The confirmation that she was indeed one of their 'classmates' made Jaune wonder again who the fourth member of their team was. However, that question was chased from his mind when Ruby spoke next.

"But you're so old," she remarked in her oh so innocent way.

Jaune's eyes went wide. He knew there were some things you never said to a woman. This was one of them. After this debacle he would have to inform the hybrids of that little detail about women.

"Nonsense," Weiss interjected. "Professor Fall looks like a natural in that uniform."

For once Weiss hadn't put her foot in her mouth. That in itself was progress when it came to the girl. Apparently Cinder appreciated the compliment as well.

"Thank you, Weiss," she seemed to say genuinely.

"Yes. She appears like one of the thirty-something year old actresses from my pornography documentaries that pose as teenage girls. It especially helps that she's wearing a plaid school girl skirt. Though usually I see such skirts bunched up around the female's waist while they lie on their backs or are bent over a table."

Time seemed to stand still, and a deafening silence had overtaken the room. Jaune could hear his heart beating inside his chest. And while it could have been a trick of the light, he could have sworn that Cinder's eyes had began to blaze with literal fire.

"However, I'm having a difficult time imagining Professor Fall on her back during intimate relations. I believe she would take a far more dominant position atop her mate in order for her to be the one in complete control of the pace and penetration."

It was a shame Jaune wasn't having the same difficulty imagining the scenario. Yeah. Cinder on her back in just that short black skirt of hers? Totally not a turn off or anything...

Emerald looked rightfully horrified. Mercury, who was thankfully sitting out of Cinder's line of sight, appeared to be struggling to hold back laughter. Jaune's own teeth were clenched tightly behind closed lips, not daring to move a muscle lest he involuntarily break out into a nervous and utterly terrified smirk.

Cinder flashed the most insincere smile he had ever seen in his life. More proof that she dare not lay a finger on her master's children, no matter how much they offended her. "Thank you, Weiss," she forced through gritted teeth. "As I was saying before... this was brought up, from this point forward you will refer to me as Cinder rather than Professor Fall. I am a fellow student from Haven Academy, as are Emerald and Mercury. Is that understood?"

Her gaze fell upon each of the hybrids, lingering there for a moment and not moving on to the next until they nodded their confirmation. Oddly enough she didn't bother looking at Jaune himself for more than a brief moment. Perhaps because she knew he was human? He honestly didn't know. The two of them never had a conversation in private where she made it clear she knew his secret like Tyrian or Hazel. However since they knew, did that mean that she was in on the secret as well? In any case, he would operate if that was indeed the case.

"Good. Now then," she continued, and gestured over to Emerald to hand her something. The green-haired girl produced a folder, and handed it to the older woman. "Your student identifications."

A card was handed to each of the foursome gathered before her, and Jaune looked down at the small plastic rectangle. Sure enough, his name and limited personal information was printed on it, along with a photograph of himself. Jaune Arc. Second year student at Haven Academy. Wait, second year?

"Jaune Arc," Cinder said. "Wren Slate. Rosalyn Rouge. And Yara Xanthic. You will use these names whenever you are in a public setting. Together you are Team AWRY, and you are second year students from Haven Academy. For the majority of the semester you have been out on an extended training exercise gaining live field experience in Anima. Such encounters include exploring the ruins of Kuroyuri to study Grimm attacks on smaller settlements, and minor skirmishes against members of the Branwen Tribe. Do you understand this cover story?"

Again, the other three girls nodded wordlessly. Jaune did so as well. He wondered why he didn't get a name change.

"Good. This will be used to explain why other students from the academy don't recognize you. I'll send the details to your scrolls later. If need be, I myself and my two subordinates will corroborate your story to lend credence to it."

A quick glance to said subordinates saw them nod in agreement with their master's statement.

"Now then. Are there any questions?"

Jaune held his breath, waiting for Weiss to say something stupid again. But thankfully it was Yang who spoke first.

"So what do you do for fun around here?" the blonde asked. "Is there anything to wreck? Anyone to fight?"

He couldn't help but smile softly. That was so Yang.

"You will be expected to participate in combat classes," Cinder explained. "I will be sending your class schedules as well, and you will attend these classes every day just as you did when you attended your old academy."

"But I assume I can't kill these kids," she smirked.

"No, Yang. You cannot kill them. Battles will be stopped before a student's Aura breaks. Please do not go overboard, as this will only do harm to your cover."

Yang shrugged, seemingly fine with the limitation. Jaune was pleased to know that no innocent students here would be put in danger by the savage monsters in human skin.

"There are training rooms where you may practice both your armed and unarmed combat skills. I suggest you take advantage of these in order to more familiarize yourselves with your new weapons. Other than that, you are free to roam the school grounds as you please. If you decide to go to Vale, do _not_ go without having Jaune at your side. Are we clear?"

That stipulation seemed to confirm that she did indeed know that he was human. Either that, or his reputation as a humanized hybrid was so renowned that she trusted him to act as any of the girl's chaperone.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Yang offered flippantly.

"We should definitely go out to eat more," Ruby suggested, shooting Jaune a hopeful look. "Maybe we can go tonight?"

He smiled down at her. "Maybe."

"Your scrolls are set to unlock your new dorm room. You are in room number 302, which is right next to this one. If you need any assistance or require any questions to be answered, come to me. This mission cannot be jeopardized by taking unnecessary risks. Understood?"

Again, a round of nods told Cinder that her orders were read loud and clear.

"Good. You're dismissed. Feel free to do as you wish until classes tomorrow morning."

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief as he and his new 'team' left Cinder's room. Now it was time to experience the genuine student life. The life he had once dreamed of living before being accepted into Salem's school. It was time to become the real deal. A huntsman. A hero.

One who would save the girls he loved so dearly.

* * *

After dropping their luggage as well as Zwei off in their room, no one wanted to be cooped up inside for any longer than necessary. This was a whole new world. A new and fantastic place to explore. There were sights to see. Foods to taste. People to meet.

It was that last part that worried Jaune the most.

As he stepped back out into the courtyard though, he couldn't help but agree with the sentiment of wanting to get out. He had been trapped inside for months, and he never knew how much he really did miss the simple things in life like sunshine and fresh air. Even if it was just strolling around the campus all day, it would be better than sitting inside their room.

"Jaune."

The boy froze, as did the girls at his side. Blood went cold. A chill ran down his spine. Was that...

Turning around, he saw an all too familiar sight leaning back against the wall near the door. He hadn't seen her when they exited the dormitory building, but then again there was no guarantee that she had been standing there at the time to begin with.

There, clad in a Beacon Academy uniform, was none other than Blake.

Jaune swallowed hard, taking a couple seconds to steady his jaw to speak. "Blake? Where... where did you come from?"

The girl, assuming her perfect faunus form, pushed off from the wall and sauntered over to him. "From shadows."

As usual such an statement did nothing to answer his question. But at the same time he couldn't complain too much. She wasn't a terrifying tentacle monster with viciously sharp teeth. No, here and now Blake was nothing more than a fellow student. A beautiful and alluring one at that. It was such an extraordinary sight to see her in her faunus form that such rarity only added to her beauty.

"But- but... how? When? How did you even get here?"

Her head tilted ever so slightly, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Why, the Bullhead of course," she answered matter-of-factly.

Of course it could have only been the Bullhead, but... but she hadn't been inside with them? Had she? There weren't enough shadows to conceal her without at least someone noticing!

" _Where_ in the Bullhead?"

Blake stepped up to him, resting a hand against his chest. "You ask the wrong questions, my love. In the Bullhead, rather than on. Or under. Hitching a ride was child's play for me..."

And that settled things in Jaune's mind. She hadn't been _inside_ the Bullhead at all. Rather, she had clung to its hull... somewhere. Somehow. Were her tentacles really that strong that she could survive an hours long flight between continents? She was either incredibly brave or incredibly insane to attempt such a journey.

Jaune knew which one he'd bet on.

"Yeah, but-"

"Shh," she purred, bringing a finger to hush his lips. "I'll always be in your shadow, Jaune. You can't escape me. I'll move mountains to get to you. Raze entire kingdoms to smoldering ruins. Bring about the downfall of humanity itself if it means getting to be by your side. All for you, my darling."

Terror the likes Jaune hadn't felt since leaving Salem's realm returned to his body and mind, and he knew that was exactly what Blake wanted. How she loved to bask in his fear and negativity. Her love for him wasn't like Ruby's or Weiss'. No, she seemed to love everything _but_ his body. However, that didn't stop her from using his body as a useful tool for her own arousal and satisfaction.

"That's... great..." he nervously replied.

Her head tilted up to meet his. "Isn't it?"

"Okay, okay, that's enough of that!" Ruby spat, coming to separate the two with her hands.

"Indeed," Weiss agreed, coming on the other side of them to stand as a sentinel between Blake and what she had claimed as hers. "What are you even doing here, Blake? You are not on our team!"

"And where'd you even get the uniform?" Yang asked. "Much more colorful than ours."

Blake glanced down at the red plaid skirt. Even the jacket had a nice yellow trim going around its edge. "Oh this? I found it."

"Found it..." Jaune echoed.

She nodded innocently. "There are entire dressers and wardrobes filled with uniforms. So I took one."

"Those are other people's rooms..."

"Beacon should enhance their security protocols. I used to break into Atlesian military installations all the time."

"I see..."

She took another step toward him. "Do you, Jaune?" she asked, head tilting once more as a wide grin erupted on her face. "Do you really?"

He swallowed. "I... I don't know..."

Teeth flashed. Nothing like the predatory fangs she wore in her Grimm hybrid form, yet these human teeth of hers somehow seemed just as deadly. "There's the fear I love so much. How I've missed your pleasant scent..."

Blake was again forced back, this time by the combined efforts of Ruby and Weiss, with the former clutching onto his arm protectively. The maniacal grin remained in place, and Jaune knew why. She may have been thwarted out here in broad daylight, but Blake lived in the night. She lived in the shadows. And come tonight, the entirety of Beacon Academy would be her playground.

There would be a new bed for her to haunt.

"Wow, this looks like fun," a new voice said from behind them.

Turning around, Jaune saw as a smiling, blond-haired boy approached them. A faunus to be more specific. An unbuttoned shirt revealed impossibly hard and toned abs, and it wouldn't have surprised him if this boy wore such attire purely to show them off.

He wasn't wearing a school uniform, so did that mean he wasn't a student? Or was he maybe like Ruby and Weiss, deciding not to wear his at this time? Jaune didn't know. All he did know was that this innocent and naive faunus boy was approaching a hornet's nest and knew nothing of the danger he was in.

"What's up, I'm Sun," he greeted warmly. His vision focused entirely on Blake the next time he spoke, and his voice seemed to lower just a slight bit to sounds more... romantic? "And who might you be?"

To her credit, Blake did not immediately lash out and bite his head off. No, much to Jaune's surprise, she seemed genuinely interested in the boy who had begun flirting with her. "Blake," she offered warmly.

"Blake, huh? That's a pretty name. And I notice you're a faunus too," he said, pointing up to her exposed cat ears. The monkey tail protruding from behind him swished. "That makes two of us."

Jaune wanted to scream for the boy to run. Run away as quickly as his legs could carry him. But even if he could have done so, even if Sun would have listened to him, it was too late. Weiss had entered the fray.

"You, monkey-man," she said accusingly. "Do you have hand-feet?"

Oh gods. It was bad enough that she had called him a monkey-man. But now she was about to spew a bunch of racist garbage right to a faunus' face...

To his surprise and amazement, Sun took the remark in stride. "Nope, all I've got is a tail." Said tail flicked back and forth again to emphasize his words. "My mom does, though."

The boy may have joked about it, but Jaune was still mortified. "I'm so sorry," he said on Weiss' behalf. "I promise she's not racist."

"Nah, it's no big deal," the other boy dismissed casually. Even as Weiss was snooping around behind him, hunched over and examining the swishing monkey tail. "She's just curious is all."

Weiss' hand tentatively reached out, as if she wanted to poke at the tail. When it twitched again her hand retracted in surprise. Icy blue eyes remained glued to it though, like a cat being teased with a feather toy.

"She's blunt, but I can tell she's not mean."

Jaune had to laugh at that. "Oh trust me, she's very mean. Just not racist."

The words caused Weiss to perk up, and she stomped back over to where Jaune stood. She lowered her neck and headbutted him in the arm. "I am not mean!"

The act caused Sun to laugh this time. "She's feisty though. I like it."

Weiss whirled around at the comment. "I'm taken, monkey-man!"

The smile evaporated from the other blond boy's lips, and his gaze switched between Weiss and Ruby before finally settling on Jaune. Ruby was still glued to his arm, pressed up against him affectionately. "But you and the redhead... dude, you're not two-timing, right? Because that's not cool."

Ruby squeezed his arm. "Nah, we share him."

Weiss nodded emphatically, taking his other limb in hers. "He is our Alpha and our mate."

Jaune sighed. He was going to have a tough time explaining this to someone raised in a normal, monogamous culture.

Sun whistled. "Damn. That's... wow. Would it be wrong if I really wanted to bro-fist you right now?"

Jaune looked down. His arms were currently locked away by a girl on each side. "I would if I could. It's very tiring, especially with this one," he said as he motioned with his head to Weiss. "But I wouldn't change it for the world."

She headbutted him again.

"Or maybe I would."

Jaune had been so distracted with Weiss' shenanigans that he hadn't even realized Blake had vanished from his sight. Only when it was too late did she reappear, slowly rising up behind Sun as if she was about to stab him in the back.

"So, Sun, was it?"

The boy flinched, and even he had been unaware of the dark-haired girl's presence until just now. He turned, and the pair shifted around as Blake attempted to circle him like a predator might stalk its prey. Sun remained with her every step of the way, however, and the two spun in slow circles as they spoke.

"That's the name," he smiled warmly.

"I bet you get a lot of hate for being a faunus," she said excitedly.

Uh oh. Jaune knew where this was going...

The boy shrugged. "Yeah, sometimes."

"Tell me about it," she pressed eagerly. A wide grin had erupted on her face as she continued to stalk around him. "Tell me about all the hate. The prejudice. Tell me how it makes you feel..."

The husky, breathy tone she used in the last of her words made Jaune shiver. Yeah, she was going to totally get off to this. Alas, he could do nothing about it. Blake got what she wanted. She always did. Somehow.

Amazingly, Sun wasn't put off in the least by her awkward line of questioning. "Well when I hopped off the boat I took to Vale, the cops were hassling me. Called me a no-good stowaway."

"Mmmmm," the faunus moaned. "Sounds delicious..."

"Yeah, it was pretty funny!"

The grin was wiped off Blake's face in an instant. "No, it's supposed to make you feel miserable."

"Why? They were dumb. And I was a stowaway to be fair."

Blake shook her head. "But... but you're supposed to be offended by racism. You're supposed to feel oppressed when authority figures target you for being a minority. That's how it works."

"I mean, for some people maybe," Sun admitted. "But me? I had a great life in Vacuo growing up. They don't care whether you're a human or a faunus so long as you do your part and get the job done. And then when I went over to Haven, I found out that the headmaster there's a faunus too! I made some great friends, all human, and have been having a blast. Faunus or not, I've been given great opportunities in life and am working hard to become a huntsman so that I can help out those who are less fortunate than me."

It was then that Jaune saw something he had never envisioned seeing. For the first time ever, in those golden feline eyes of Blake, he saw it. He saw what she had always inflicted on others, but never felt herself.

Fear.

"Come on, Sun. Tell me about the hate. The way people stare and don't trust you for being a faunus. The stereotypes. How they think you're a part of the White Fang just for being you. Tell me. Isn't that what it's like for you too?"

The boy shrugged. "Honestly? Not really. I dunno, maybe I just got lucky being from Vacuo and finding an awesome team at Haven." His expression softened, and he gazed down on Blake with a loving and friendly smile. "But if that's been your own experience, Blake, I just want you to know I'm here for you. You'll never have to feel that way again as long as I'm your friend."

She took a step back from Sun, eyes wide as she stared up at him. "What... what are you?"

He smiled warmly. "I'm Sun," he winked. "Faunus, huntsman, and all-around nice guy at your service."

It was too much for the hybrid and she turned to flee, hiding behind Jaune and using him as a human shield in front of the other happy blond.

"Jaune. Jaune, he's too happy," she whimpered. "Make him stop."

This. Was. Beautiful. It was perfect. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and he wasn't about to let it pass.

After shaking Ruby and Weiss off of his arms, Jaune turned and reached out to the cowering Blake, taking her by the shoulders. But rather than comforting her, he instead gently pushed her forward and toward the cause of her dismay.

"Nah, I think you could use some positivity in your life," he said warmly. "I mean, look at that winning smile."

Sun flashed a toothy grin. "Bright and warm as the sun!"

"See? And funny too!"

"I hate him," she growled.

"Which is exactly why you need to get to know him." Jaune continued pushing forward regardless of the fact that her heels had planted themselves onto the ground, and her cat ears were flattened atop her head. "After all, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

"I want him to stay a stranger."

"Nope. You need friends who aren't us, Blake. It'll be good for you."

A loud hissing noise was his only reply this time.

"Did she just hiss at me?" Sun asked.

"Yup. Cat faunus. You know how they are."

"I... kinda get the feeling she doesn't like me," the other boy said sullenly.

Well that just wouldn't do. The last thing they needed was for Sun to be sad or upset. That would in fact only make Blake like him more, and not in the right way. While what Sun said was true, it didn't mean that they couldn't have a little bit of fun at Blake's expense for a change.

"Oh don't read too much into that," Jaune dismissed. "She's just playing hard to get. She's, uh, really, really goth."

The girl he was shoving forward was not amused, and she turned her head to regard him with murderous intent. "Jaune, I will hollow out your skull and use it as a drinking chalice to wash down your entrails."

The blond forced out a laugh. "You see? Look at that terrible, dark poetry. Goth as goth can be."

"I will make you suffer for this," she snarled.

Jaune leaned down to whisper into her ear. "Not so funny when you're on the receiving end, is it?"

Her face twitched. Anger was still present, but it was fading. It was being replaced by something Jaune couldn't quite put his finger on. Was it... sadness? Defeat?

"My innocent little fly has started spinning webs of his own," she lamented softly. "I find this... strangely arousing."

The boy sighed. "Of course you do."

Jaune positioned the girl to stand before Sun once more. The faunus boy rubbed the back of his neck nervously, probably and rightfully not fully convinced by Jaune's attempted words of reassurance.

"So, uh, the Headmaster of Beacon is going to be giving a speech later today. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go with me? Since you're from Beacon and all, maybe you could show me around?"

The uniform Blake wore gave off the false impression that she was indeed a student here, but the reality of the situation couldn't be further from the truth. In all honestly Jaune had no idea what Blake would do if someone in charge questioned her presence here.

In an instant Jaune fell forward, the Blake he was holding onto no longer corporeal. The after image of her shadow clone flickered once before vanishing from sight.

When he recovered he turned to witness Blake fleeing the scene. Apparently Sun's positivity was too much for the girl to handle. Jaune couldn't help but smile at the knowledge. Another weapon in his arsenal against the stalker.

"Wow, I guess she really didn't like me," the other boy noted sadly.

Jaune sighed, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. "Don't take it personally. She... she doesn't really like a whole lot of people."

"Seemed to really like you. At least when she wasn't threatening to eat you."

He forced out another laugh. "Oh, that. Like I said. Dark, moody poetry and all. But the two of us go way back I guess you could say."

"I guess so, considering you attend different academies and all. Childhood friends?"

Nope. But he had lied this much already. "Yeah. Before she had to... move. To another home."

Sun nodded grimly. "Ah. Yeah man, that sucks. But at least you got to reunite here at Beacon. That's really cool."

In all honesty, it was a good thing that Blake had followed him here. At least now he could keep an eye on her and make sure she wasn't suffering. It also meant Blake wouldn't be tormenting Wesson back in Salem's realm out of boredom.

"Ah, well, can't win 'em all," Sun remarked, seemingly pulling himself out of his funk after being rejected by Blake. He stretched out his arms, rolling his head around to earn a few satisfying pops of his neck. "I should go find the rest of my team. There is that speech tonight, and I guess everyone's supposed to attend. It'll be a boy's night out or something."

And that was a far better fate than spending the night with Blake. Jaune knew that from experience. Had Blake not been so put off by the boy, it wouldn't have surprised him if the hybrid did give Sun everything he ever could have hoped for, and more...

Before devouring him like a praying mantis would her own mate.

"Well, I guess we'll leave you to that," Jaune smiled. "It was nice meeting you. Hope we run into each other again in class."

"Yeah, for sure," Sun replied, raising his fist for Jaune. With his hands free now he was finally able to give Sun the fist bump he wanted earlier. "See you around."

"Not so fast," Yang said.

Sun looked back, only to see the blonde girl sauntering toward him. "Oh hey, never did get your name," he smiled.

"Yara," she smiled back as she stood before the boy, looking him up and down. "So, Sun. You're strong enough to scare Blake away?" Lilac eyes narrowed dangerously. "I gotta say... I like that."

Jaune swallowed. This was another trap that Sun had no idea he was walking into. If there was one thing Yang valued above all else, it was strength. It wouldn't surprise him if she wanted to see just how strong Sun was.

"Well it wasn't my intention to scare her," he shrugged. "It was kind of the opposite in fact..."

"Still, you gotta have a lot going for you to make her afraid. And those abs... nice."

Red alert. Yang may not have wanted to eat the boy, but Jaune was sure there were other ways that the blonde girl could hurt the faunus boy. Even if they were ways that hurt oh so good.

"Thanks. And you look really nice too. Love the hair."

"Oh this old stuff? Yeah it's okay. But most guys would say I have nice tits."

Jaune's eyes widened. Unlike Weiss, Yang wasn't saying that out of innocent naivety. No, she knew she had assets and wasn't afraid to use them. To her they were just another weapon to use against humans who would love to get a glimpse of her... guns.

Sun was obviously put on the defensive with the comment, which had been Yang's intention. "Oh, um, yeah," he struggled to say. All traces of his former confidence with Blake were gone. It wasn't surprising with Yang's forwardness. "They're... nice?"

So this was what it looked like from the other side. Who knows how many times Jaune himself had reacted much in the same way to Yang's flirting?

"You and me," Yang said in a low, sultry tone. One of her fingers came out to trace circles around his exposed abdominal muscles "We should fight sometime."

"Fight?" Clearly that wasn't the act that he had been expecting Yang to suggest.

She nodded confidently. "Yup. You and me. One on one. I'll break you in half, little boy."

There was an eagerness in Yang's tone that Jaune recognized far too well. Her desire to fight strong opponents was well-known. The fact that she believed himself to be some sort of Leviathan Grimm that was too much for her to handle only made her want to duel him more.

Crap. He had promised her a fight here at Beacon, hadn't he? With any luck she might have forgotten. Or maybe she would be sated by fighting Sun...

He shook his head. No. He couldn't put his own problems on this innocent bystander. If he had to take the brunt of Yang's aggression he would do so willingly. No one else had to get hurt. Or worse.

"Little boy? You seem pretty sure of yourself, Yara" Sun smirked back. His head tilted down slightly to make up for their difference in height. Jaune was sure that the hybrid must have hated being looked down on in such a manner. "All right. I'm always up for a little fun."

Pearly-white teeth flashed, but their human appearance did nothing to lessen Yang's predatory nature. "Fun," she echoed. "Trust me, I know how to have fun. More fun than you can handle."

Jaune was worried over what she meant by fun. Was it mere fighting? Something sexual in nature? Or... maybe that Yang had killed a huntsman before, and she was eyeing Sun as her second? The troubling thing was it could mean any of the three. Or all of them together.

"But until then, maybe I'll see you at that speech tonight." She shot him a wink before turning to stride away. "I look forward to getting my hands on you."

Well, that happened. It was probably best that they all make a tactical withdrawal after all the awkwardness that had just gone down.

"Right," Jaune said hurriedly. "See you at the speech tonight!"

Ushering Ruby and Weiss to follow, Jaune went after Yang quickly. Maybe it was too early to explore. Maybe they should just stay in their room for a couple hours and get acclimated to their new home. And maybe while they were there he could explain a thing or two about proper human interaction.

And hopefully find Blake before the dead bodies started turning up.

* * *

The main hall of Beacon Academy was packed. Much like the air ship terminal, there were various degrees of negativity coming off from people all around her. Ruby supposed that was just a part of living amongst humans. They had emotions, both good and bad. Thankfully none were so strong that they caused her any distress. A glance over to her sister and Weiss showed no negative effects on them either.

Humans of all different sizes and colors stood around her. Some, like her, wore black uniforms. She supposed those were her fellow 'classmates' from Haven Academy. Others wore white, probably from that snowy kingdom to the north. Others still wore the black and red that she had seen Blake wearing. She hadn't seen the elusive hybrid since she had run off earlier in the day, but she hoped Blake was okay. And oddly enough, she hoped that Blake hadn't gutted some random passerby. Not simply because a murder would raise alarms around the school, but because she genuinely did not want to see some innocent human die.

What an odd sensation that was.

She nudged Jaune with an elbow, earning his attention. The tall boy looked down at her. "Yeah?"

"So... what's this whole speech thing about?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I dunno. Probably to welcome all the exchange students or something."

Ruby nodded in understanding. They, along with many of the other humans who inhabited the room right now had arrived recently. At least they hadn't been too late because of their eating escapade. The thought of food made her belly rumble. She wanted more steak. Or any other kind of meat.

"Serious waste of time," her sister commented. "I could be out kicking some ass and testing my strength against Beacon's huntsmen. Is this what they teach their students to do here? Welcome the Grimm and try to talk them out of fighting instead of killing them?"

Someone in front of them snickered. Ruby realized that they really had to keep their voices down in a room filled with humans. One wrong word and they could all be exposed.

She sent her other elbow into Yang's side. "Shh!" she whispered harshly.

Yang sent a sideways glare her way. Lilac eyes then moved on to the boy on the other side of Ruby. The redhead followed her sister's gaze, and saw that Jaune was staring back at Yang. He wordlessly nodded in agreement with the shushing.

The blonde girl merely clicked her tongue indignantly, but went silent nonetheless.

"I think it's fascinating," Weiss disagreed. "We're about to get an explanation of why we're all gathered here and why it's important to have this whole festival. Knowledge is power, and we should do our best to learn as much as we can."

Another person who stood in front of them turned. A boy with black hair and pink eyes regarded Weiss with admiration. "Well said."

Weiss nodded graciously. "Why thank you. At least someone around here appreciates my wisdom."

The first person, the girl who had laughed at Yang's remark, turned now. "Yeah, well, I agree with her," she motioned to the blonde. "I'd much rather be out hammering some Grimm. Or even other huntsmen in a spar."

Yang grinned. "See, this girl gets it. All work and no play makes Yara a dull girl."

"Yara, huh? I'm Nora," she said, offering a hand to her newfound friend. "And this is Ren," she motioned to the boy.

"Ren?" Weiss asked. "Is that spelled the same way as mine? Wren?"

The boy shook his head. "I don't think so. Gender-rules of naming usually have different spellings for masculine and feminine names."

"No way," Nora gushed. "Ren and Wren? And you two both like learning and stuff? That's so cool! It was meant to be!"

"Sorry, but I'm taken," Weiss said, clinging to Jaune's arm.

"Oh yeah? Well, sorry, but I'm taken too!" Nora exclaimed, similarly hooking herself around Ren's arm. "Only, like, not together-together and all. But he's my best friend and partner. Oh! Are these your other teammates?"

Ruby smiled and nodded. "Hi. I'm Rosalyn, and this is Jaune," she said motioning to the blond boy beside her.

It was odd using her cover name, but if Weiss and Yang could do it then she could too. She wasn't about to be the one who blew their cover.

"Ahhh! We should all totally hang out sometime!" Nora gushed. "And I'll introduce you to our other teammates! We could hang out and eat and fight and it'll be so much fun!"

"Fight?" Yang asked.

"Eat?" Weiss echoed.

"I guess we see where their priorities are," Nora smirked, nudging her own partner and friend in the ribs. "We're gonna get along juuuuust fine. Fighting and eating are like, my two favorite things in the world."

Ruby couldn't help but smile. To her surprise, Yang and Weiss were as well. At a human. If all humans were like Nora and Ren, were they really so bad?

Before she could think more on it, a loud voice echoed through the hall. "May I have your attention, please," the smooth, male voice said.

The redhead looked up and saw that a gray-haired man had stepped up onto the stage. Tall and lanky, his eyes were partially shielded by glasses. The all black attire he wore only exemplified his height and thinness.

"I would like to start by first welcoming all of the students and staff who made the long journeys here to Vale. It means so much to me, as well as everyone else here, that the four kingdoms of Remnant have come together once more for the 40th Biennial Vytal Festival."

A smattering of light clapping filled the room, and Ruby looked over to see Jaune had joined in. Oh well. When in Vale, do as the Valeans do. Weiss and Yang subsequently joined in, not wanting to stand out. She didn't know why they were doing this, but it was best to just go with it.

"The Vytal Festival was created to serve as a celebration of peace between the kingdoms. Every two years, a kingdom is chosen to open its doors to the world, allowing citizens from every corner of Remnant to meet and indulge in one another's cultures. To see our peoples peaceful bonds still so strong after nearly eighty years is a truly remarkable thing."

"Not for long," Yang whispered down softly into Ruby's ear.

She knew her sister's words to be true. Soon enough they would be the first of their kind to infiltrate the human kingdoms and engineer their downfall. This peace that the Headmaster of Beacon spoke of would soon come crashing down on them all.

"So please, make yourselves at home. Our kingdom is your kingdom, and we, the people of Vale, are at your service."

These humans, or at least this one, was so innocent. So naive. So accommodating. He had no idea that there were eight, well, technically nine infiltrators in his midst counting Blake. Ruby almost pitied the man and his ignorance.

"I look forward to seeing what the great peoples of Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo are capable of in the Vytal Tournament as well. While it is our patience and compassion that unites humanity, it is our strength which shields it from the threats that would tear us all asunder. At the end of this tournament we will all emerge victorious, for so long as the protectors of humanity stand united, we shall fear no darkness."

Clearly the man had never met Blake.

The speech went on, and to be honest Ruby grew a little bored with it. With him. A glance at Weiss showed her watching with rapt attention. Yang on the other hand shared the same glazed over expression as her sister, and wanted to get out as soon as possible.

Jaune... Jaune's expression was unreadable. She couldn't quite place what he was feeling either. His emotions were a whirlwind of both positive and negative.

"Thank you."

Another round of clapping sounded, stirring Ruby from her thoughts and signaling the end of the speech. Good. Time to get out of here and go back to their room. Zwei was probably hungry. She was too. Maybe she would go with Jaune to raid the kitchen to find food for them all.

"Well that sucked," Yang joked as they started moving.

"It figures that a barbarian like you would find nothing of value in such a speech," Weiss protested. " _I_ happen to believe that the more we can learn about humanity and its history, the better."

"Spoken like a girl with only a single horn."

Silver eyes widened, and Ruby grabbed her sister's arm. "Yan- Yara!" She winced, nearly blowing her cover while chastising Yang for doing the same. Ruby covered her mouth before she could make another mistake.

The blonde girl sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. We'll do it the human way." She turned back to Weiss. "Spoken like a girl with small tits."

Weiss' face scrunched up in anger as they walked. "Jaune clearly isn't complaining since he took me as his mate instead of you."

The comment forced Yang to glare balefully at the boy. The boy shrunk under her intimidating gaze. That _was_ true... Ruby looked down at her own chest, and knew it wasn't as big as Yang's either. Maybe Jaune was just into smaller girls when it came to both height and bust?

"Can we really not discuss this sort of thing here in front of all these people?" Jaune asked, motioning to the shuffling students.

Probably for the best. The number one rule of infiltration, as she had learned from Professor Fall, was to blend in. Don't draw attention to yourself. Discussing such personal and intimate details in public would definitely draw eyes and ears to them.

As they followed the herd of students and took a turn toward the main doors of the hall, Ruby caught a glimpse of the man who had come down from the stage. A tall, pale-blonde haired woman stood at his side. As did a giant clad in a white uniform, who she surmised was from the same place as the white-wearing students.

Hard brown eyes stared at her from over small, circular glasses.

Ruby swallowed hard. She looked away, and tried to hide behind Jaune's much larger body as she went along.

It didn't work.

"Miss," the familiar voice of the speech-giver sounded.

Ruby looked back over to see the Headmaster moving toward her. Staring right at her, letting her know that it was indeed herself that he had addressed. The other two adults followed in his wake, remaining a couple steps behind him at all times.

She could either run away and draw attention to herself, or stand her ground and see why the man had singled her out. Steeling herself, and grabbing onto Jaune's arm for support, she halted and turned to face the man.

"Oh, um, hello," she answered meekly.

"Thank you for coming today," he said, offering out his hand. "I'm the Headmaster of this academy. Please, call me Professor Ozpin."

Ruby looked down at his hand for a couple moments before reaching out to take it. It was massive, at least compared to hers. Much like Jaune's. She shook it with as much strength as she dared. She didn't want to seem too strong in front of the man.

"Um, I'm Rosalyn," she lied in return.

"Rosalyn," he repeated, letting the name linger in the air. "You have, silver eyes."

Said eyes blinked once. Twice. That was an odd thing to say. Ruby looked up to Jaune for help, and saw that his own eyes had gone wide, and it was good that they were looking away from the Headmaster. He said nothing, but Ruby could tell that there was something significant about what Ozpin had just said.

"Oh, um yes. Thank you."

Ozpin smiled down on her. "It was nice meeting you, Rosalyn. I hope we are able to speak again at a more convenient hour."

Ruby nodded hurriedly. "Yeah, sounds good. But right now we're hungry and wanna eat something."

The man chuckled, an amused smile on his lips. "Then please don't let me keep you. A warrior fights on his or her stomach after all. I think you'll find that Beacon Academy has some of the finest cuisine Vale has to offer."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Weiss blurted out, raising a triumphant finger into the air. "To the cafeteria!"

The quartet went on their way, and Ruby was eager to get away from the man who had singled her out.

A look back at Ozpin showed him merely conversing with his associates, seemingly not sparing her another thought.

She hoped it stayed that way.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** And our cast of characters increases. New friends are made. I've been looking forward to that Blake and Sun exchange for months now, and had so much fun finally getting to write it. Also a callback to hand-feet. Grimm Weiss is the best.

As always I want to thank **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for all the brainstorming and ideas. And of course, my thanks go out to all of you for continuing to support this story. I hope I can continue to write something that keeps you wanting more.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know if you did!


	24. Chapter 24

This. Was. Riveting.

Weiss was on the edge of her seat as she took in every word of the lecture being presented to her. Hands, which should have been holding her pen to take more notes, were instead gripping the edge of the desk in front of her. She could hardly believe it. How could she have gone this long in her life being so ignorant? How could she have mistaken herself for wise and knowledgeable when there was so much she didn't know about her own kind? How could a mere human be as strong and potent as the one who stood before her?

Professor Peter Port was a genius. Not just a genius, but a powerful huntsman. One whose very name would strike fear into the hearts of Grimm had they possessed the intelligence and consciousness that she did.

Icy-blue eyes were laser focused on the man as he paced back and forth lecturing his class. She didn't want to miss a word. Not a single subtle action. Yes, with Professor Port his actions were just as important as his words. Every twitch of his mustache. Every small hand gesture. All part of weaving a grand tale that had her, as well as every other mind in the classroom, absolutely enthralled.

"So there I was," the portly but no less dangerous huntsman continued with his story. "After singlehandedly slaying the pack of Beowolves which had assailed the settlement, the fairest maiden among them came forward with, let's just say, a most _indecent_ proposal as a reward for my services. The town had just been ravaged prior to my arrival, you see, and they no longer had much of monetary worth to offer up as compensation for my services."

Weiss nodded furiously, grasping her pen in her left hand and scribbling down this tidbit of information. So it was common in human culture to offer oneself and their services as a reward to others. She would do well to remember that. It would be especially useful as an excuse to get some alone time with Jaune in the future. No one would bat an eye if she feigned injury or danger to herself only to be saved by her mate, and then offering up sexual favors as his reward. Yes. Standard human practice, as it turned out.

"But being the noble and chivalrous young huntsman I was, I naturally declined her offer. For you see, service to the people is not about the rewards you may reap from it. And trust me, there are many, _many_ rewards that come with the territory of saving those in need."

Noble and chivalrous. Weiss frowned as she digested the words. Those described Jaune to a tee. She hoped that didn't meant he would turn down her advances as well, should she set up the proper scenario to indulge in.

"And it was a good thing that I did, you see," Port went on. "For no sooner than the voluptuous and busty maiden offer herself to me, did a second Grimm attack commence! More than mere Beowolves this time, but a mighty Ursa Major and its cohorts!"

Port let the words linger in the air, adding to the suspense of the story. Despite the fact that the man stood before them this day, Weiss could not help but wonder how he escaped the mortal danger that he faced that fateful day. Seconds ticked by and the anticipation was killing her.

Her arm thrust into the air to earn the man's attention, but did not wait for him to call on her before she spoke. "Then what happened!"

The rest of the class collectively groaned around her. Weiss' head moved, eyes darting around to see a host of tired faces and weary eyes. What was wrong with these children? How were they not enraptured by this stunning tale of bravery and sexuality?

"Why, I'm so happy you asked, Miss Slate," the professor undoubtedly smiled beneath his impressive mustache. "For you see, I had just run out of ammunition for my trusty blunderbuss," he said, reaching over and grabbing his axe-bladed gun. "And that meant only one thing."

Again his words hung in the air, as if daring for someone to speak up to answer the unasked question of 'how did he manage to slay the Ursa'. Her peers may have been nitwits, but Weiss was anything but!

"You did it with your axe!" she exclaimed, hurrying to make sure that no one else got the correct answer before her.

"Righty-o, Miss Slate," Port nodded. "Well done."

Weiss preened under the praise of the impressive human. And what an impressive specimen he was. It didn't matter if Port was surrounded by creatures of Grimm by the dozen. This man, no, this huntsman, was a truly gifted and remarkable warrior. Someone worthy of writing songs and carving statures for.

"The beast was as powerful a Grimm as I had ever seen. Ten, no fifteen feet tall. Even in my youth, strong and rippling with muscle as I was, the creature towered over me. It came charging at me, this dumb, elder Grimm, thinking it could take me down with a single swipe of its claw. I knocked it down with my axe. Gods, I was strong then! Caved in its carapace. Probably shattered every rib it had. Stood over it, axe in the air. Right before I brought it down, it roared. Its last roar before I chopped its head off with one swift blow." Port laughed, shaking his head. "Oh those were the days."

Weiss hurried to scribble down the last details of the story. He left no stone unturned when it came to fleshing out the tales of his youth. For example, when he was a young huntsman Professor Port wore an onion on his belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have white onions because of the war. The only thing they could get were large, yellow onions as a result. She could picture it now. A young and probably handsome Peter Port swinging his axe around in mighty arcs, large yellow onions swaying from his belt like severed heads taken as trophies. It was an impressive picture to paint in her mind's eye. One that gave her... ideas.

The next time she was alone with Jaune she would force him to play the role of the huntsman, and she would play the Grimm. He would knock her down onto her back with a swing of his sword, forcing her to be at his mercy as he hovered above her with another mighty weapon in his hands. And then he would plunge it into her over and over again as he saved the village from the rampaging Grimm.

She grinned stupidly at the thought. As it turned out Professor Port's lecture was more than just entertaining and educational. It had given her the most perfect idea for her and Jaune's private activities. Coming to Beacon was truly a wonderful experience.

Port looked up to the clock mounted on the wall, and his mustache noticeably twitched. "This will sadly have to wrap up today's class. As you all know, I will be heading outside of the kingdom for an extended training exercise with one of the second year teams. I expect you to treat the substitute teacher with the same amount of dignity and respect as you show me."

Hearing those words gutted Weiss. Not literally, of course. She'd done her fair share of gutting back in Salem's academy. She was not keen on seeing this amazing specimen of a human leaving so shortly after she had gotten to know him. If he could be turned to Salem's cause like her other human professors then he would make a powerful addition to her forces. Weiss would love to see a duel between Port and Tyrian. Truly it would be a battle for the ages.

The bell rang, sadly signaling the end of class. Most of the students around her, including those on her team, were quick to get to their feet an hurry out of the classroom. It was sad how they didn't appreciate a good teacher. Maybe if they had to put up with the likes of Professor Callows they would be more appreciative of the wonderful teaching method of Professor Port. She very much doubted most of these humans would survive a single session with the maniacal scorpion faunus.

Weiss followed out with her teammates until they reached the hall. Only then did her friends begin to speak.

"Ugh, I thought that would never end," Yang griped. "Can you believe how ridiculous that was?"

Weiss frowned. "What are you talking about? That was the most fun I've had since arriving in Vale."

Yang shook her head softly, shooting a glare at the other hybrid. "You're nuts, Weiss."

" _Wren,_ " she whispered pointedly. "You would do well to remember that, _Yara._ "

Yang snorted dismissively, rolling her shoulders with disinterest. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. It's not like there's anyone around who's listening in on us or anything."

That wasn't the point. They were on a mission and they had to take it seriously. And that meant playing their roles to perfection, as well as being alert at all times.

"Anyway, it'll be great to get a new teacher who isn't that blowhard."

"Blowhard?" Weiss protested. "Excuse me, _Yara._ I think you would be wise to learn as much as you can from a professional huntsman. After all." Weiss looked around to confirm no one was within earshot of her next words. She leaned in closer and spoke in a hushed tone. "Your life may depend on it one day."

Yang snorted dismissively. "And where do you think I got this baby," she said as she patted the looted shotgun she had indeed taken off of a slain huntsman.

Icy eyes narrowed. It was just like Yang to lord that little achievement over the rest of them. Like it made her better than her peers. Well... well Yang didn't have a strong mate like she did! And in the end that was what _truly_ mattered.

"So, day's over," Jaune spoke up, changing the subject. Probably for the best, as Weiss didn't want to get bogged down in an argument with the blonde hybrid. "Anyone have anything they wanna do today?"

Weiss licked her lips. Later today, or rather tonight, perhaps.

"I really need to get rid of all this pent up frustration after that boring lecture," Yang said first. "So I'm gonna go hit up the training rooms. Wreck a bunch of stuff. Hopefully run into a dumb little huntsman who wants to test me."

"Remember what Cinder said," Jaune said. "No killing."

Yang smirked. "Killing, sure." Her lips curled into a deeper smile as she continued. "Didn't say anything about breaking them though."

"Yan-ara..." he warned.

"What? They have Aura. They'll be better in like an hour or whatever."

"Not the point. We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves."

Weiss nodded in agreement. At least _someone_ here understood the value of infiltration. This was undoubtedly why Professor Fall had chosen him and herself for practical demonstrations in her infiltration and espionage class. It was also why she had chosen him as her mate. He was both strong and intelligence. Their offspring would inherit the world.

Offspring. Strong and intelligent. Weiss was struck with sudden inspiration.

"Jaune," she said, tugging on his sleeve to earn his attention.

He looked down on her, giving his undivided attention. "Yeah?"

"You must breed with Professor Port. I give you my permission to do so."

The boy's face twisted in a look of utter revulsion. "What?"

"What!" Ruby echoed.

Weiss' face held firm despite their protests, however. "Yes. Imagine the powerful offspring the two of you would produce. A warrior as mighty as him with your own strong hybrid genes would produce incredibly potent children."

Yang was covering her mouth, holding back laughter as she eyed her companions. Ruby meanwhile looked as horrified as Jaune did. These fools simply didn't understand her vision. Though it was true that Jaune was her and Ruby's mate, their ultimate goal was to secure the world for Salem and the glorious future she would bring. If that meant having to share her mate with others in order to produce more strong hybrids, then so be it.

"I don't know if you've managed to get your hands on Mistrali pornography, but it does _not_ work that way," Jaune argued. "Guys can't mate with other guys."

"That's intolerant!" Weiss protested.

"No not like that! I mean they can't have children!"

Weiss harrumphed, crossing her arms across her chest. The snipe did not discriminate. It didn't matter if it was male on male or female on female. The snipe always delivered. And to Jaune and Professor Port it would deliver bundles of muscular, mustached offspring.

"Gods, we need to give you a proper sex ed class," the boy sighed.

The invitation perked Weiss up. "You mean right now? I mean I had been planning on tonight, but if you're ready and willing..."

He shook his head. "No, not that sort of... never mind. I really need to go to the library and get you a book to explain just how the, uh... reproductive process for humans works."

The library, he says...

More inspiration struck the white-haired hybrid. Why hadn't she thought of that sooner?

"As it turns out I do have plans for today," she said suddenly.

"And what's that?"

"I will be traveling to the library in order to find material that has been sorely lacking since arriving in the kingdom of Vale," she explained. "Professor Callows has not been here to provide me with what I seek, but I will be able to find it here in Vale without need of his aid."

A pair of blue eyes stared down at her confusedly, but Jaune nodded nonetheless. "Okay. Well, I hope you find what you're looking for."

Weiss smiled bashfully. "I shall. And hopefully it will provide further inspiration for us later in the evening."

Again Jaune simply gave her a confused stare, but agreed nonetheless. "Right. Well, uh, I guess that leaves just Ruby and me to go explore around the campus." He produced the scroll from his pocket. "Call or message me if you get lost or need anything. Got it?"

She nodded in agreement. "Yes. Now if you'll excuse me, educational documentaries await."

Weiss broke off from the main group, heading over to the library building. Yang would soon depart as well, leaving Jaune and Ruby alone together. That didn't bother Weiss at all. Jaune and Ruby may have been close, mates in their own right, but Weiss was his _first_ mate. She knew she held a special place in his heart, and that he loved her just as much as Ruby. She felt no threat to her position in the slightest by the two of them being alone without her.

Strolling along Beacon's campus alone was a new thing for Weiss, but she could not help but be impressed by the world of humans. They constructed tall buildings. They prepared delicious meals. They produced excellent documentary movies. Perhaps humanity was not a lost cause after all. Perhaps all they needed was a push in the right direction.

Left to their own devices they waged wars against each other. They discriminated against one another for things like faunus genetics and arbitrary borders they drew in the dirt. What they needed was Salem in their lives. Only the supreme mother of all Grimmkind would be able to bring peace and order to a world filled with chaos and strife. Only then would humanity truly be able to prosper. The hybrid was happy to be able to play a role in that future. With her and her brother and sister hybrids, a new order would be implemented on the world.

However, until that day came... there was no reason she could not indulge in one of her new favorite past times. A dainty tongue came out to run across her lips as she neared the library. Home of what would undoubtedly be the greatest collection of documentaries the world had ever seen!

Stepping into the building, Weiss was greeted with a waft of aromas. Paper and ink, if she had to make a guess. However, libraries were well known to carry documentary movies as well, and she was sure that she would find something that she and her teammates would be able to enjoy tonight. It had been far too long since they experienced a movie night, after all.

The question then became where? Where did she find them? Wall after all, shelf after shelf of books surrounded her, and to be truthful with herself, Weiss felt the slightest bit intimidated by the sights all around her. There was so much knowledge crammed into one building, and simply not enough time to learn it all! Perhaps this was the biggest tragedy of all when it came to the failings of humanity. For all their knowledge, they were so very ignorant.

As she slowly walked, her head on a swivel as she looked all around her, a familiar face appeared when a particularly tall woman turned around. One of the human teachers! A truly intimidating woman, at that. Professor Callows' counterpart here at Beacon, Glynda Goodwitch.

Weiss pursed her lips. If Professor Callows had been the combat professor, and he had been the one to provide her with documentaries back in Salem's school, then it stood to reason that Professor Goodwitch would do the same. She nodded her head confidently at the plan in her mind.

With newfound assurance flowing through her, Weiss stepped forward on a direct collision course with Professor Goodwitch. The older woman noticed the attention being given to her, and returned it in kind to Weiss.

"Miss... Slate, was it?" the professor asked.

Weiss nodded, agreeing with the lie. "Yes. Professor Goodwitch, I have a request."

She did not smile, but Weiss could tell that the woman did not find the words disagreeable. "How may I help you?"

"I wish to know where in Beacon's library the pornography documentaries are located."

Light green eyes widened for a split second, and lips parted. It took a moment before Miss Goodwitch replied. "Excuse me?"

"Pornography," Weiss explained. Honestly, were even human professors this dense? Was that wonderful man Professor Port simply the exception? "Documentaries of human mating on display. Fornication. Beacon Academy _does_ offer such material in its library, does it not?"

By now a few of the nearby students sitting at tables had focused their attention on the ongoing conversation. Clearly they were quite interested about this topic as well. If those in charge of Beacon were withholding their pornography from the rest of them, they were right to be upset.

Perhaps that was indeed the case, as Miss Goodwitch appeared to be quite angry. Angry because Weiss had called her out about her pornography hoarding?

"Miss. Slate," she stated evenly. "Please come with me to my office to speak in private."

Weiss swallowed hard. She had seen this scene play out all too many times before...

* * *

Ruby was ecstatic, laughing as she ran down the hall of the school. Jaune was struggling to keep pace, but that was nothing new. She didn't want to admit it but Beacon felt so wonderful compared to Salem's castle. Bright lights, open areas, humans and all of their myriad of emotions everywhere, it was wonderful! Maybe it could use some more blood drenched tapestries, but no place was perfect.

The human food wasn't quite as good as the personalized meals Jaune would make but that didn't stop her from tearing it apart. Ruby was on cloud nine. Clinging to Jaune's arm she looked him over. The boy had definitely gotten bigger since she first met him. Broader shoulders, maybe even an inch taller, and powerful, defined muscles. It made her think certain things, like how she could one up Weiss taking him in the kitchen back at Grimm Academy. Or back to the night spent with the two of them, fighting with Weiss over...

"You okay Ruby?"

Ruby blinked. She realized idly she was drooling. Smiling, she nodded. "Of course! I was just thinking, you know. We haven't really, since the dance..."

Jaune grimaced. "Ruby, that was just a little while ago."

"Yeah well..."

"I'm still sore."

A small amount of guilt washed over her. "We apologized for that!"

"You have two, Ruby. Two."

"Weiss did it harder!"

"Weiss always does it harder. I let my guard down around you and paid the price for it."

Ruby giggled. "Well I _am_ a deadly Cookie Monster, Jaune. You should know better than to drop your guard."

Jaune smiled. "Yeah, won't make that mistake again."

Ruby looked across the wide sea of people. People who were blissfully, completely at ease with her in their school. It made her feel special, important. No longer was she shunned for being who she was. Hated for not being like the rest. Here she could be herself. Her true self.

Who was what, exactly?

Ruby frowned. She didn't have any memories before Salem saved her. Her mother was so kind and beautiful, wise and strong. She told Ruby herself that she was special. Ruby knew she was her mother's favorite. But, if she had a mother, surely she had a father?

"Jaune, do I have a dad?"

Jaune looked back at her confused. "I guess so? I haven't really thought about that."

Ruby hummed to herself. He must have been powerful if Salem would have his kids. Ruby crossed her arms, nodding to herself. That made sense. A father had to be powerful, strong and caring. Looking at Jaune she grinned.

"Maybe I should call you daddy."

Jaune choked a little, coming to a dead stop. "Please, please don't."

Ruby laughed, Jaune laughing with her eventually. Then his face turned deadly serious.

"Please, seriously don't. Ever."

Ruby rolled her eyes, stepping away from Jaune. Just in time for another redhead to come crashing into him, Jaune's Aura flashed briefly as he stumbled back a step. The redhead bounced back off of him, landing hard on the ground.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Came the cries from the ground. Green eyes locked with silver as Ruby watched her suddenly become confused. "Why am I on the floor?"

Ruby looked over at Jaune who seemed none the worse for wear. Looking back she offered the young woman a hand up.

"Well you ran into this big guy and bounced off. Hi there! My name's Ruuu-osalyn!"

The redhead blinked, looking Jaune over. "He knocked me down? By just standing there?" The energetic woman jumped up, taking Ruby's hand in a furious handshake. Ruby's eyes widened, the girl's strength surprising her. "That's amazing! He must be really strong!"

Jaune rubbed the back of his head, muttering to himself. Ruby shook her head.

"The strongest! Maybe. So um...what's your name?"

"Name? Oh, right! You already gave me yours! I'm sorry, I'm Penny! A totally normal human!" The redhead hiccupped after that, Ruby tilting her head.

"I am also a totally normal human, Rosalyn..." Ruby trailed off, looking over at Jaune.

"Rouge."

"That's right! Rosalyn Rogue!"

Penny squinted at her. "I thought it was Rouge?"

Ruby could feel sweat begin to gather. "The u is... variable?"

"That's fantastic! I always wanted to be Penni or Peneye, but father won't hear of it! He says that names must be set in stone and never altered which is absolute... sorry!" Penny laughed. "So, you are pretty strong, Mr-?"

"Jaune Arc. And I don't know about that. I just had my Aura up is all."

Penny nodded. "Smart. Father advises me to do the same. I always do what father tells me." Hiccup. "Mostly!"

"It must be nice having a father," Ruby said, a dour mood taking over her.

"He is very nice, yes. Maybe too cautious though. Always afraid I'll get a virus or something silly," Penny laughed.

"You have a weak immune system?" Jaune spoke up again, Ruby confused. What was an immune system?

"No!" Penny cheerfully exclaimed.

"Do you have a strong one?"

"I don't need one. Why would I? I'll never get sick." Penny was still just as cheerful.

Ruby slung an arm around her neck. "Want to be friends? I hear that's something totally normal not hiding anything humans do!"

"You're right, Rosalyn Rogue Rouge! Totally normal not hiding anything completely human humans are always looking to make friends!" She leaned in, motioning the two to get closer. "I made a human friend a few days ago. He's a man named Kevin who lives in the alleys of Vale. He sells people soda!"

"Soda." Jaune didn't seem impressed.

"Coke!"

Ruby blinked. Coke? Like that syrupy drink she tried before? That stuff was good...

"We should go to Kevin and buy the Coke, Jaune!" Ruby insisted.

Jaune closed his eyes, rocking back and forth slightly. Penny stared after him confused.

"Is he all right?"

"He will be. Jaune just needs some alone time, once in a while." Ruby looked around before leaning in to talk in Penny's ear. "That's what he called it when he went to the bathroom by himself for long periods of time."

"Bathroom visits are also something totally normal humans do!"

Ruby nodded. "He hasn't had to take alone time since me and, um, Wren started officially dating him though."

"Two of you?" Penny eyed Jaune. "Are you sure? He doesn't look big enough for two people to share. But then again Ren is a very small boy."

Ruby didn't know what the boy they met the other day had to do with anything. "I assure you he's plenty big enough!" Ruby held her arms out wide. "Look how big his shoulders are!"

Penny nodded. "Smart, smart Rosalyn Rogue Rouge. Maybe the larger a person is, the more potential partners they need?"

"Maybe! Though he does have Blake, she's more of a part time thing." Ruby pouted. "I wanted him and my sister Yara to get together too, but she's a weirdo."

Penny shook her head. "Sisters are the worst. I would know!" She hiccupped again.

Ruby crossed her arms. "Maybe we could share him with you? I'm sure Jaune wouldn't mind. He'll just need to find time to treat all three of us equally special."

"Really and truly, Rosalyn Rogue Rouge? I would adore that!"

Jaune's shout nearly cracked the glass around them, is what Ruby would have thought. "No!"

"No what?"

"No! No more sharing! You two are enough!"

"And Blake."

Jaune glared at her, the hybrid withering under his ire. "Do not encourage that."

"But she called dibs on the first child!"

"We do not do dibs on who I get pregnant!"

Ruby thought about that for a moment. She had technically lost the horn duel to Weiss over first baby rights, maybe that wasn't such a bad rule.

"But we did promise her, Jaune."

"And promises are meant to be kept!" Penny added. "I always keep my promises!" Again, she hiccupped.

Jaune stared at the girl. "You need something to drink?"

Penny looked almost scared for a moment. "Oh, please, no. Thank you! But no. I got enough water in my last waterproofing test."

Jaune sighed. "I'm not going to-"

"What is that!" Ruby interrupted.

"It is what it says it is. My father wanted to make sure that the weather wouldn't harm me too much. So I was put through all kinds of training and tests!"

Jaune grimaced again. "I can relate."

Ruby poked him in the side. "You got better than you deserved and you know it."

Penny grabbed Ruby's hands, the smaller girl's grip almost frightening. "So do you mean it that I can borrow Jaune?"

Ruby nodded. "I don't see why not. Wren is only jealous of me because my chest is better. But you're even less chesty than she is!"

"Ren's a _girl_?"

"She sure is!"

"That makes sense. As far as I am aware I have no chests." Penny smiled. "What does Ren do in her free time with Jaune?"

Ruby thought about it. Mostly she would nuzzle him with her horn or jab him if needed. "Mostly she just tries to penetrate him I guess."

Penny nodded. "Then, Jaune, we should get to the penetration!"

Jaune's eyes closed. He took Ruby by the hand and dragged her away, Ruby deciding not to fight back. "No thank you, don't be a stranger, we're leaving, come on, Roz!"

Roz? Was that another nickname?

"Best friend!" Penny shouted after them.

"Best human friend!" Ruby shouted back, reaching for her halfheartedly. "Let's go for tea tomorrow at noon!"

"I don't know where-!" Penny's voice was cut off as Jaune dragged Ruby halfway across the school.

Finally they arrived outside of the dorm halls, where they were supposed to wait for their friends.

Jaune sighed. "You realize something is wrong with her right?"

Ruby tilted her head. "What do you mean? She's a totally normal, not at all suspicious human! Jaune, you worry too much."

Jaune's eye twitched. "You're unbelievable."

"You know it!"

Jaune seemed to swallow something, she wasn't sure what. All she knew was that she felt a deep pit of dark emotions strengthen within him until he quietly counted to three and put on his best smile.

"You really are a good girl, Ruby."

She beamed under the praise. She tried her hardest to be the best girl. Still, it was always nice to hear it from someone else. Especially when that someone else was Jaune.

The beeping of one of the scrolls provided by Hazel sounded, and Jaune fished the device out of his pocket before opening it and reading the message. Eyelids closed dramatically, and a heavy sigh slipped through his lips.

Ruby frowned, reaching up and tugging on Jaune's sleeve. "Jaune? What's wrong?"

"It's... Weiss. She's in trouble."

A cold chill ran down the hybrid's spine. She immediately feared the worst. "In trouble? Oh no! Did she get found out?"

Thankfully Jaune shook his head. He really wasn't showing too much concern over the other hybrid's plight. If anything it was mild annoyance.

"No. But she's apparently going to the headmaster's office right now. She said something about..." he trailed off, glancing down at the scroll again. "All the documentaries being true, and that she's about to face stiff disciplinary action from those who need to teach her a lesson."

Silver eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"

The boy shook his head, closing the scroll before stuffing it back in his pocket. He sighed again before he started walking. "I don't know, but we should go over there and try to smooth things out as much as possible."

Ruby nodded, hurrying to catch up and walk beside him. She could only wonder what it was that Weiss had gotten in trouble for.

* * *

Glynda Goodwitch thought she had seen it all in her years of teaching at Beacon Academy. Teenagers, especially those with incredible powers, were always difficult to deal with. Some used their powers for harmless, teenage fun. Others felt they needed to lord their strength and skills over others, and bullied those who they perceived as weaker as a result. Still others became overconfident and lazy due to their natural gifts, and needed extra motivation to put forth the same effort as their peers.

Wren Slate was none of these things. Wren Slate was a menace the likes of which she had never seen.

Stepping into Headmaster Ozpin's office, the white-haired girl looked around. "Is this where the pornography is kept? Or are we living one in this very moment?"

Glynda's eye twitched. Pornography this. Pornography that. This girl may have been a hormonal teenager, but she had never seen this level of brazenness from any student in her life. Not even the male ones.

She had attempted to speak to the girl in the privacy of her own office, but that apparently hadn't been good enough. Glynda was simply unable to get through to this young woman, and so had ultimately decided to pass her off to Ozpin. Maybe the man with all his wealth of knowledge and experience would be able to talk some sense to her.

The man they had come to see looked up from his paperwork, brown eyes staring at the pair of new arrivals curiously. "Glynda, this is an unexpected surprise. And this is..."

"Wren Slate," the Haven Academy student offered with a slight dip of her head.

"Miss Slate," Ozpin echoed, standing from his desk. "Glynda, is she a..."

"No," the professor said hurriedly. No. Never. Not in this lifetime or any other. Wren Slate would never be an appropriate candidate for _that_. "I just... I can't..."

Ozpin's head tilted slightly with concern. Well-placed concern, if Glynda was being honest. "Glynda?"

"Just... deal with this."

"With...?" He let the word linger in the air.

Wren's body seemed to stiffen at the question. She stood up as tall and straight as she could for someone of her stature. "I'm flattered you wish to engage in fornication with me, Headmaster Ozpin. However, I already have a m- partner. I have not been a naughty student who needs to be spanked, nor do I wish to exchange a favor with you so that I may improve my grades."

The sheer audacity of this girl... to speak to Headmaster Ozpin in such a manner...

Glynda reached down for her riding crop, not at all intending to actually strike the student in response to her disrespectful words. It was all just for show. Or perhaps simply instinct at this point.

Apparently it was the wrong move for a mind as perverted as Wren's. "Or perhaps it is Miss Goodwitch here who intends to punish me while I am busy servicing you?" she asked. "Regardless, I am simply not interested. Jaune is my one and only partner, and though you may possess experience which would teach me more on the subject of intimacy, I must ask that this scenario end before it goes any further."

The blonde woman was ready to explode. This little nymphomaniac seriously thought that she intended to use her huntress weapon as a bondage toy? The nerve of that little...

"What have you been learning over at Haven Academy?" Ozpin genuinely asked.

"How to seduce weaker minds."

The man sighed, shaking his head softly. "I need to speak to Leo about this..."

"Perhaps later," Glynda stated through gritted teeth. "For now, however, what do you intend to do about this girl and her mouth?"

"My mouth is for Jaune only!"

"And her _inappropriate language_ ," Glynda snarled. She hated the fact that she had to clarify such an obvious choice of words.

"Now, now, Glynda," Ozpin somehow said coolly. "Not all kingdoms are as conservative about intimacy as we are. Look at Vacuo, for example."

"She's from _Mistral!_ "

"Regardless, it is hardly our place to judge those who grew up with different customs and life experiences than us. If Miss Slate has... a healthy curiosity for the natural parts of life then it is hardly our place to judge her. We simply must provide a nurturing and non-judgmental environment where she may grow as both a huntress and a human being."

Glynda was irate. He was actually taking Wren's side on this?

"And I _am_ a human being," the girl stated pointedly.

"Precisely," Ozpin agreed happily. "However, there are times and places for intimacy, and a public setting with your professor is not one of them. Do you understand why?"

Please, please let her understand why.

Wren nodded, her face seemingly showing no disagreement or confusion. "Yes."

"What you do behind closed doors is your business, and we cannot police what students do in their own dorms. Sex is a healthy and natural part of life, and right now you are experiencing changes to your body and hormones which will only make these urges stronger. We only ask that you please exercise caution in whatever actions you take."

Was Ozpin seriously giving her the talk right now? Better him than her, Glynda supposed...

"Yes. One pregnancy scare is enough for me," Wren agreed. Glynda's eyes nearly bulged out of her head at the admission. "Jaune and I are very safe. Rosalyn as well."

Ozpin smiled. "Good. Then I believe there is nothing left to say here."

That was it? No disciplinary action? No detention? Just... _that_? Choose your words more carefully in public? Honestly sometimes Glynda wondered if James was somewhat right about Ozpin. If maybe he was just a little too passive...

Or maybe it was just her anger talking right now. After all, Ozpin hadn't been the one caught in the public library while Wren went on and on about pornography...

Another dip of her head indicated her gratitude, as did the small curtsy. For all of her lewd and crude language, Wren Slate seemed to be a dignified and polite girl. "Thank you, Headmaster. I assure you that any further extracurricular activities will indeed be kept behind closed doors. Speaking of which, does Beacon Academy happen to possess beds large enough for three people?"

Glynda's eye twitched again. Three people. Herself, Jaune, and Rosalyn apparently. Things sure have changed since her time at Beacon...

"I'm afraid not. You must make do with the beds that the school provides."

Wren seemed to sigh disappointedly. "Oh well. It simply means tighter cuddling, I suppose."

This Jaune fellow was a very lucky boy to have women in his life who were so... open.

The buzzing of a scroll went off, and Wren pulled hers out to read a message. "Oh, speaking of which, my teammates have come for me. Though I suppose now that I know there will be no extracurricular activities that I don't require their assistance anymore."

"I promise you that no professor here at my academy would ever proposition a student in such a manner," Ozpin reassured her.

"Splendid. Then if there is nothing further to discuss then I will be on my way."

Glynda frowned. Ozpin smiled. "Yes, you may see yourself out, Miss Slate. I hope that you enjoy the rest of your day."

"Thank you," Wren replied gratefully. "And you as well."

Without another word the young woman turned and strode out of the office, leaving Glynda alone with Ozpin. The silence in the room was deafening, and it took all of her will not to explode at the behavior and language the girl had shown to her authority figures.

In the end all Glynda could do was speak honestly. "What a strange girl."

Ozpin said nothing, but the smile remained on his lips.

* * *

"You said _what_?"

Jaune could hardly believe what he was hearing. He knew Weiss was a little bit off. Too honest. Too forward. Unbelievably naive in certain fields. But to hear that she had actually assumed and announced that she believed Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch wanted to have sex with her was on a whole different level.

"Can you honestly blame them?" Weiss retorted. "I happen to be a stunningly attractive young woman, thank you very much. It's only natural to wish to mate with me."

She wasn't exactly wrong there, Jaune had to admit. He supposed it was only natural that someone with Weiss' looks would think rather highly of herself. Even if she was a know-nothing know-it-all.

Jaune was just happy to be heading back to their dorm. After picking up Weiss they had gone and found Yang, who bragged about having destroyed at least twenty of the training robots Beacon possessed for practice. He didn't know how many they had, but twenty seemed like a high body count.

He supposed it was better than an actual body count.

The sun was dipping down over the horizon, showering the sky with an array of pink and orange colors that swirled with the normal bright blue. He never realized how beautiful sunsets were until he was deprived of their sight for months. In a way the colors reminded him of the perpetual red and purple darkness of Salem's realm. Only here he knew that the colors would change in time. Night would fall, and then morning would come again.

"Though I am sad that I was unable to find any documentaries for us to indulge in," Weiss lamented. "I was looking forward to another movie night."

"What, looking for some inspiration to spice up your love life?" Yang quipped.

"Perhaps."

Jaune swallowed. The last thing they needed was inspiration. Ruby and Weiss were a handful by themselves without the aid of any weird porno movies giving them ideas.

Wait. Now that Yang shared a dorm with them, would she expect to participate ? Or would she be content to just watch?

And what about Blake...? That really was always a question in the back of his mind. What about Blake? Where was she? He hadn't seen the girl since she ran off from Sun the other day. But as he very well knew, just because he couldn't see her didn't mean she couldn't see him. Or taste his delicious fear...

Jaune felt an arm grasp onto his, and he glanced over to see that Ruby had pulled herself close to him. Leaning her head against his shoulder, Jaune felt the warmth and love of the hybrid pressing against him. It left his other side awkwardly cold.

At least until Weiss went and mimicked Ruby's own actions. Never content to be in second place or allow Ruby to have something she did not, Weiss similarly grabbed hold of his arm and made herself at home against his side.

If Yang had wanted to participate, the only place left would be his back. The thought of her pressing her ample bust against him in such a manner wasn't exactly unpleasant...

So concerned had he been being sandwiched between the two amorous hybrids that he failed to see the man stumbling toward them. One who they would have surely walked straight into had Jaune not put on the brakes and guided his teammates to step around.

Jaune had never seen this man before. Far too old to be a student, but not one of the teachers he was familiar with. Could he be some civilian? Someone who had somehow gotten lost and wound up at Beacon?

A whiff of the air around him almost supported that theory. The stench of alcohol combined with his stumbling steps told Jaune the man was drunk. Perhaps he should inform someone at Beacon of the trespasser.

"Hey, close call there, little man," the stranger slurred, standing eye to eye with Jaune. Maybe he was even a little taller than the boy, had he not been slouched over in his drunken stupor.

"Oh, uh, right," Jaune agreed. "Sorry about that."

The man waved off the apology with an exaggerated motion. "Naaah, it's fine. Gotta watch out for the kids. Especially little Winter here."

The stranger's red eyes were boring into Weiss now. She tensed up, clutching Jaune's arm tighter under the intoxicated glare of the man.

"Winter?" Jaune asked.

A grunt and a groan slipped from his lips. Undoubtedly due to his drunkenness. "It's nothing. Winter wouldn't show that kinda love in public." Those red eyes narrowed, as if trying to see straight as they looked over Jaune and the rest of his friends. "Wouldn't share either. Man, this takes me back. Look just like him."

Jaune couldn't make sense of the man's drunken antics, but he supposed that was normal. He wasn't in the right frame of mind, and Jaune shouldn't try to decipher the words as a result.

"Uh, right," he agreed. "Well we need to get back to our dorm. It was nice meeting you, uh..."

"Qrow," the man answered. "And starting tomorrow I'll be your new Grimm Studies professor. Port may be going away for a while, but I've got plenty of port with me..."

 _This_ man was going to be their new professor? A man stumbling around drunk on Beacon's campus? This did not bode well for the young blond...

Qrow's eyes narrowed again, this time focusing on Ruby. Much like Weiss, she found herself clinging tighter to Jaune, going as far as to even use his body to shield her face when she brought it down low and behind his shoulder.

This was his cue to leave. Maybe Qrow would be less creepy when he was sober.

"Anyway, yeah. Gotta go. See you tomorrow for class."

Jaune hurriedly led his friends away from the new teacher and toward the doors. After a few seconds of walking he turned back around to see what Qrow was doing. Hopefully he would continue stumbling on his way to wherever his destination was.

To his disappointment he found those drunken red eyes staring after them. He made no move to follow. He merely watched.

The look sent a shiver down Jaune's spine. The sooner they got back to their room the better.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Weiss is still an absolute joy to write. Penny is a totally normal human girl just like the hybrids. Qrow has entered the picture. And I never realized just how much fun I could have by naming Weiss' alias Wren. Poor Ren. They're the same name when spoken. I'm sure it won't lead to anything awkward...

My thanks go out to **Burkion** , **Lightningstrxu** , and the entire Work in Progress Discord server as always. Whether it's writing a scene or just helping with ideas, the help the people from this wonderful community provides makes this story the best it can be.

I also found out that another friend from the server made a TVTropes page about this story. So my heartfelt thanks goes out to **Knightsong7** for making the page, as well as everyone else who has contributed to it. It's such a massive honor, I really can't say enough about how cool it is that the page exists. So thank you. Thank you all so very much.

As always I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reading.


	25. Chapter 25

"It was _them_ , Oz!"

Qrow Branwen was beside himself. Hands slammed down on the desk to emphasize the word. The dull thud echoed throughout the spacious chamber that acted as Ozpin's office.

The man removed himself and his offending hands from the desk and resumed pacing around the room. He knew that she should be working to keep a clear head, but right now such a task was impossible. It was them. It had to be them. No matter how much he didn't want to get his hopes up. After all, bad luck just seemed to be his lot in life.

The previous day he had been drunk. Little surprise there. What was surprising, however, was how Ozpin had called him in at the last moment to fill in for Professor Port, who would be absent for at least the next week. Taking Team CVFY out on a mission outside of the kingdom would take time, and someone needed to teach his class in the meantime. Whoever that was supposed to fall to before didn't matter now. It was Qrow's job now. For once he was glad for it.

He had run into them. Almost literally. A quartet of teenagers who to anyone else would have looked utterly unremarkable. To Qrow's trained eye, however, even a drunk eye, he saw them for what they were. For who they were. There was no mistaking it. Even after more than a decade of their absence, he knew it was them. Ruby. Yang. It had to be. It just had to.

"We don't know that for certain," the annoyingly calm voice of Ozpin countered. As if to emphasize that point, the man's hands were folded neatly atop his desk next to a ceramic mug.

Qrow spun around, a snarl bristling on his lips as he worked overtime to keep his languge in check. To face such a challenge to his hopes in this moment threatened to make him lose control.

"Then why'd you call me here?" he countered in turn. "Huh? You know that all this teaching BS isn't my style. I'm a field agent, not one of your desk jockeys. You called me because you _knew._ "

He hadn't been able to prepare himself. He hadn't even known to expect them before stumbling into them in the courtyard. Maybe he was lucky for once that he had been drunk. Qrow had no idea how he would have reacted to the teenagers had he had his wits about him.

"I needed an unbiased reaction," Ozpin explained. "Had you known what to expect you might not have reacted honestly. You may have _wanted_ it to be them, rather than believed it truthfully."

Qrow scowled, a harsh breath shooting through gritted teeth. As much as he hated to admit it, the man did have a point. Going in blind and cold had given him no expectations. No hoping or wishing. He simply saw them for what they were. And he knew what they were.

His hands rested firmly atop the desk again, and Qrow leaned in toward Beacon's Headmaster. "You can't sit there and tell me that this Rosalyn girl isn't the spitting image of Summer," he growled. "Or that Yara isn't exactly what Yang would look like all grown up."

Anyone else might have interpreted Ozpin's lack of a reaction for apathy. Or maybe even arrogance. Qrow knew better, however. He knew that the man liked to play things close to the chest. He liked his secrets. Those included his own emotions.

"Perhaps," the man agreed. The way his hands were clasped together calmly on top of his desk irritated Qrow. Like there weren't any stakes here. Maybe Ozpin didn't have stakes, but _he_ certainly did. "However, we don't _know_ this for a fact."

" _I_ know, Oz. And that's good enough for me."

"But not for me. Wishful thinking and irrational hoping will not get us anywhere at a time like this. After all, your sister did tell us that the girls had passed."

She had indeed, and that threw a wrench into this whole situation. Raven claimed that she had been unable to create a portal to Yang, and it meant that she must have been dead. And if Yang was dead, so was Ruby. That had been more than ten years ago. If it really was them, did that mean Raven had been lying to them all for ten years?

It was a thought Qrow didn't want to entertain. Raven had always been a less than moral person. Even after she had returned to Taiyang, even after they had restarted a life together after the tragedy, she was still a whole host of words that Qrow would rather not utter aloud around others. But she wasn't _evil_. She would not have lied to him and Taiyang for years about the loss of the girls like that.

"I'll speak to her about that soon," the huntsman sighed. It was a conversation he wasn't looking forward to having. After all, how would he bring up his long dead niece to his sister, and then accuse her of lying about her fate? A hand came up to wipe down from his forehead to his chin. Gods, was this not a conversation he wanted to have with her. "How'd they survive, Oz? They just up and vanished one day, and ten years later they're here attending this school. It can't be a coincidence."

Ozpin offered only the slightest tilt of his head. "Perhaps."

"Not just Yang and Ruby," he continued. "The white-haired girl. She looks just like a young Winter Schnee. And if I remember correctly, didn't her younger sister go missing after a Grimm attack on the air ship that was carrying her?"

It had made international news many years ago. An air ship had been attacked and destroyed by a swarm of Lancers on what was supposed to be a routine flight from Atlas to Argus. Some of the bodies were never recovered, assumed to have been lost to the Grimm or other natural predators before the recovery team had arrived. The body of the Schnee girl had been among those never found.

"White hair and blue eyes are not traits exclusive to the Schnee family."

The huntsman growled. Was Ozpin being contrarian on purpose? Challenging him at every turn? Why summon him here to Beacon if he was just going to shoot down all of Qrow's hopes and dreams?

"I've dealt with that haughty Specialist enough," Qrow said, referring to the only surviving Schnee daughter. He approached the desk again, tapping a finger hard against it surface. "And she looks just. Like. Her."

With each with Qrow jabbed the desk again to make a point of emphasis. He wanted the other man to know just how serious he, as well as this situation was.

"The resemblance is remarkable, yes," Ozpin agreed. "But again, we don't _know._ "

Qrow knew one person who would know. Then again, was it right to get her hopes up like this with no proof?

"And the boy. I don't know who the boy is, but if he's anything like the others, then he's probably some other missing kid. I thought he looked like Tai, the way two girls were hanging off his arms like that..." Qrow shook his head. Memories of his time at Beacon Academy flooded back. Happier times. Even if it did involve his best friend being the one to land all the ladies. "Thank the gods it wasn't Yang and Ruby, otherwise it really would have been Tai 2.0."

"Records show the boy's name is Jaune Arc." Ozpin knew the information off the top of his head. Clearly he had found this whole situation interesting enough to dig into on his own. "A real name, complete with personal records, a home address, and family members which include licensed huntsmen."

"So not another lost child," Qrow mused. "And no way of knowing if he knows that his teammates are all walking corpses," he added.

"None whatsoever. By all indicators just an ordinary huntsman student."

"There's nothing ordinary about any of this," Qrow growled.

"I agree. Nothing ordinary at all."

"What are we supposed to do then, Oz?"

The man sitting behind the desk looked as unfazed as ever. Qrow wished he could have that sort of poise. Then again it came with millennia of experience. Maybe it was best that he didn't have that sort of experience...

"They're from Haven," Ozpin stated matter-of-factly. "Perhaps I should contact Leonardo and allow him to offer an explanation for their existence."

A chill ran down Qrow's spine. "You think Leo had anything to do with them?"

"I don't, but it's always a possibility to consider. It's also possible he has no idea who these girls are, and that they were seeded into his academy without him knowing that there was anything remarkable about them."

"But which is more likely, Oz?"

Qrow hated to think that Leonardo had anything to do with this, but at the same time it was inconceivable. Unless the man somehow possessed technology or some other method of preventing Raven's Semblance from allowing her to travel to Yang. Unless it was Raven herself who was lying...

There were too many questions. Too many variables. Qrow didn't know what to do, and he hated that feeling. He wanted to take some course of action, but the uncertainty of the situation didn't allow him to do anything.

"Leonardo is a trusted lieutenant of mine, and I will give him the benefit of the doubt. That does not mean, however, that I will blindly trust him or this... Team AWRY."

That was a plan Qrow could agree with. Leo may have been a good friend and comrade, but this stank too much to not have something fishy going on.

"Probably for the best," Qrow agreed. "So where do we go from here? You gonna lock them up or something until we get an explanation of who they are or where they came from?"

"Of course not," the Headmaster dismissed. Calm brown eyes peered up at Qrow past his glasses. "These children have done nothing wrong. I don't believe them to be guilty of anything. After all, who can fault those we thought long dead for being alive?"

"Well _someone's_ guilty of _something!_ "

Ozpin took a sip of his mystery drink. "Perhaps."

Perhaps. _Perhaps._ What an annoying, smug way of agreeing while simultaneously dismissing the matter entirely. One of Ozpin's favorite words. Deflect. Distract. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

"In any case, we will observe," Ozpin said. "I do not believe there to be anything nefarious about these students, but like you said, this is a very big coincidence to find them here. Perhaps the girls were found by good, honest people and were raised outside the kingdoms. Perhaps they were raised well, and even with new role models still decided to pursue the dream of becoming huntresses. We simply do not have enough information about them yet to make a decision."

It was a good point. At the same time, however, Qrow hated these sorts of waiting games. "You and your three-dimensional chess..." he muttered.

"We will observe," Ozpin repeated. "As their new professor you are in a unique position to not only keep an eye on them, but to question them directly under the guise of a teacher learning more about his students. After all, the greatest teachers ask questions not only about the material they teach, but about the students themselves."

Qrow normally hated teaching. It's why he dropped the gig at Signal. A bunch of brats thinking they were hot shit because they had a Semblance and a weapon. It was ignorant and childish arrogance. The kind of mindset that was usually wiped out after a single mission in the field.

Here, however... Qrow very much looked forward to getting back into the teaching game.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I'll get to the bottom of this. I'll start teaching here at Beacon full time if it means getting to spend every day with them."

"What a frightening thought," Ozpin quipped.

The fact that Ozpin just made a joke was unusual, but in the grand scheme of things it was the least concerning thing about this whole situation.

"Joke all you want, but I'm in this for the long haul," Qrow stated firmly. "I don't know why they're here. Or how they're here. Or what happened in the past to lead them here. But those are my girls, even if I'm not their father. I don't know what they've been through or what they plan on doing, but I'm not going to give up on them. I'll die before I let them slip away again. I just can't help but wonder what they're doing at this very moment..."

* * *

"Right hand yellow!"

Oh dear. This was going to be a difficult one. Especially because it involved...

"Why hello there, big boy," the grinning smile of Yang greeted the boy as he reached down.

It had been a simple suggestion. A simple decision. Go down to Vale on one of their off days and have fun! Explore! Do some shopping! Sure, that had all been fun and good. Especially when he had suggested that they purchase a game or two to help alleviate their boredom while stuck at Beacon.

Twister had turned out to an innocent enough choice at the time. In practice, however...

Jaune reached over to the nearest free yellow circle with his hand, a path which took him dangerously close to a busty blonde clad in a school girl uniform. The hand ran in between her widely-stretched legs, and put his face dangerously near hers. Bright lilac eyes danced with mischief as the two stood, or rather hunched over, mere inches apart.

"Hey... Yang..." he managed uneasily. Not only because of the physical strain of bending, but due to his proximity to the suggestive hybrid.

Behind him he could sense the presence of Weiss as she too worked to get her hand in the new position. Though he couldn't see her, he could only imagine the jealousy radiating from her to see her mate so close to a girl who wasn't her.

"Looking a little wobbly there," Yang commented, noticing how his elbow and knees were beginning to shake a little bit in such a compromising position. His closeness to such a beautiful girl wasn't doing him any favors either. "I don't think anyone would blame you if you fell forward. Don't worry, I'd be there to cushion your fall."

She wasn't wrong. In the position they both found themselves in, Jaune had a prime opportunity to sneak a peek down Yang's shirt and get a glimpse of her hidden treasures. If he were to fall forward his face would undoubtedly collide with them. It made the prospect of losing the game oh so tantalizing...

"Yang, stop trying to seduce Jaune and play the game fairly!" Ruby, the game's referee, squawked from the sidelines.

He was sure that jealousy had nothing to do with her outburst either. Absolutely sure...

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Yang turned her attention back to Jaune, the coy smile on her lips betraying her words. "Just fall, Jaune. You could say Weiss pushed you."

"Don't make me come over there!" the white-haired hybrid snarled. There was a strain in her voice as well, presumably due to her own position atop the game mat.

Why had he agreed to play Twister with these girls? He knew there was absolutely no way this could end well.

"Okay, spinning for the next move," Ruby announced. The soft whirl of the game's cheap spinning device filled the air for a couple seconds before it ground to a halt. "Horn to red!"

Jaune's eyes narrowed even as he was still staring down the twin peaks of Mount Yang. "Horn?" he questioned. "Ruby, there's no horn option on a game of human Twister!"

"Yeah, well, I just thought I'd spice things up."

The flesh of the hybrid before him began to shift and pale, and soon enough he was staring down into the white, black-veined skin of the fun-loving and dangerous hybrid. Eyes shifted up to stare into Yang's own glowing crimson orbs.

"You heard the lady," she grinned. "Horn to red."

"B-but I don't have a horn," he protested.

Ruby _knew_ he didn't have a horn, too. Out of all the girls in this dorm room only she knew he was a human being. He couldn't transform like Yang and Weiss in order to place their horns on the red circle.

"Right. I know how important it is to stay in your human form at all times. So I guess you'll just have to substitute."

"Substitute with wh...at..."

Yang wiggled her eyebrows, her gaze falling to below Jaune's waist. His own eyes went wide. A shiver ran down his spine. She wanted him to...

His thoughts were interrupted before he could even continue his train of thought as Yang took a large whiff of air next to his neck. "You smell really good right now. You've always had a particularly good scent about you."

That was something the hybrids had been telling him since he arrived at the school. What they mistook as a pleasant scent had always simply been his own fear and negative emotions. Only Ruby knew the truth due to knowing his true nature. He wasn't about to correct Yang about the matter right now.

Baleful red eyes continued to stare into him. "Come on, Jaune. Horn to red. Or... if it's easier for you, you could always just stick that horn straight into yellow..."

As much as he had grown immune to some things, there were others he would simply never get used to. Blake, and all of her Blakeyness was the first and foremost. The next on the list was Yang and her tantalizingly tempting flirtations. Despite the fact that he was with Ruby and Weiss, he couldn't help his thoughts from wandering to the well-endowed blonde in moments like this. He was still just a teenage boy. He was only human, after all. And therein lay the problem.

Jaune felt himself losing his balance, but not through his own actions. Something was tugging from behind him, and as he twisted to turn around and confront the source he lost his footing completely. A pair of arms came to wrap around his torso, and Jaune fell forward straight onto the petite body of Weiss.

It was an all too familiar sight, being positioned directly atop the small yet aggressive hybrid. A single, proud horn jutted from her forehead, and blackened cheeked blushed below a pair of hungry red eyes. Arms were wrapped around his back, and legs locked around his waist.

Jealousy at its finest. All to get his attention off of Yang.

"So aggressive," Weiss whispered into his ear. "But if you insist on taking me right here and now..."

Right, because it had been _his_ decision to fall on top of Weiss. Jaune wasn't buying her innocence for a minute. He knew about her and her... kink.

It thankfully didn't last long, as he felt a powerful hand grip the back of his own shirt and pull him up despite the protests of Weiss' limbs. Torn off of the girl like a band-aid, Yang and her monstrous arm dangled him mid-air for a moment before setting him back down on his feet.

"None of that right now," she said. Ironic, considering she had been the one propositioning him only a few moments earlier. Jealousy was a two-way street, he supposed.

Ruby gasped, tossing aside the game spinner. "That's right! We gotta get to the last class of the day!"

Jaune brushed himself off, taking out his scroll to check the time. Their little break time was over, and it was time to go to Professor Port's Grimm Studies class. Or rather, the new substitute teacher's class.

"Tch," Yang dismissed. Her human hand rested defiantly on her hip. "Why bother?"

Jaune frowned. He knew that Yang wasn't a fan of classrooms outside of the ones where she got to fight, but even she didn't normally suggest blowing off class.

"I hate to agree with Yang, but tch indeed," Weiss echoed, only in her case phonetically speaking the scoff rather than it coming naturally as Yang's had. "This new professor is a drunkard and a scoundrel. Yesterday he reeked of fermented hops and barley, and that gives me little hope that he could live up to the... impressive standards of Professor Port..."

Had Jaune not known that Weiss had eyes for him, he would have thought that the hybrid had a crush on Professor Port. Her dreamy manner of speech certainly made it seem that way.

"Still, we have to go," Jaune insisted. "We can't stand out in any way. Standing out means people will ask questions. Ones we don't want to answer."

He moved to grab his uniform jacket from the bed and slipped it on. The girls did the same to complete their own ensembles, reverting back to their human forms as they did. Especially important in Yang's case.

"Whatever," Yang breathed. She was annoyed. Why, Jaune couldn't say.

Gathering up their backpacks, Team AWRY set out to attend Qrow's class. Jaune could only hope the man would be sober this time around.

* * *

"You all think you're ready," Professor Branwen said. Qrow Branwen was the man's full name, as it turned out. "You think you know things, but you don't. One day out there is worth a week in here," he gestured to the window, indicating the world of Remnant as a whole.

Well at least he wasn't drunk. But he also wasn't pulling any punches telling them how unready they were for the world outside of Beacon. Jaune knew full well now just how unready he was for everything.

The boy sat in his usual seat, flanked by his usual teammates with Weiss on his right and Ruby on his left. Yang sat on the other side of her sister. All in all, a normal setup for Grimm Studies.

Qrow stood before the class, hands in his pockets as he stared up at the tiered seats of students. There were awkward starts and stops to his lecture. Sudden pauses. Lingering glares. Was this man even a teacher at all? Jaune had to believe it, as there was no way the Headmaster of Beacon Academy would bring in just anyone to instruct the future huntsmen of Remnant. But with the way Professor Branwen was going on... it filled him with doubt.

A gruff sigh slipped through the lips of their new teacher. Hands came out of his pockets and he all but threw them in the air in what seemed like frustration. Maybe he wasn't good in front of crowds. That was pretty bad for a teacher. That also only reinforced the idea that he wasn't a teacher at all.

"You know what? Forget it," the man said. "Tell me, what was Port teaching you yesterday? Where did he leave off in his lesson plan?"

Weiss' hand shot into the air. It figured that she would be the only one to actually know or remember what that old man had been rambling about.

"Yes, Miss... Slate was it?"

Weiss nodded firmly. "Yes. Professor Port was teaching us about the time he saved a village from not only a pack of Beowolves, but then an Ursa Major as well."

Qrow snorted a laugh. "Is that so?"

"Yes. He also told us about the customary reward offered to huntsmen by those who have been saved."

"Customary... reward?"

"In which the fairest young maiden of the village offers herself up to the hero as compensation for his services," Weiss explained. "Professor Port was, as he put it, quite the stud back in his day."

Jaune clenched his eyes shut as snickers sounded all around him. He wasn't sure if they were laughing at Weiss or laughing at Port's words. Maybe they mistook Weiss as mocking Port herself, quoting him verbatim. Had he not known that Weiss was being one hundred percent genuine, he probably would have thought otherwise himself.

"So that's the kind of nonsense he's been teaching you," Qrow sighed. "Great. Looks like I gotta start from scratch here. I can't believe I'm about to ask this, but knowing Port it looks like I have to. Do you all know what Grimm are attracted to?"

 _Me,_ Jaune's mind said silently. He looked around, and a number of students raised their hands.

"Yes, Miss Nikos?" he called.

"Negativity," she answered confidently and correctly. "The Grimm are drawn to all sorts of negative emotions, and seek to destroy humanity as well as our creations."

"Good, at least you all know that much. Thank the gods for small miracles..."

Honestly Jaune couldn't blame the man for being skeptical about Port's teaching methods and curriculum. It left much to be desired. The boy had probably learned more about Grimm anatomy by sleeping with hybrids than he did from the old teacher.

"Okay, so you know the basics I suppose. Attracted to negativity. Destroy humanity and their creations. Mindless beasts bent on destruction."

Weiss' hand shot into the air once more. Jaune's brow furrowed as he gave her a curious look.

"Yes, Miss Slate?"

"Mindless would hardly be the word to describe them," she protested. "The creatures of Grimm follow a strict hierarchy structure in which the strong dominate the weak."

The statement gave their professor pause, and even from up here Jaune could see that Qrow arched an eyebrow of his own. "Almost correct," he said with some surprise. "The presence of Alpha creatures does tell us that Grimm become more powerful as time goes on, but there's nothing to suggest that they have anything resembling any sort of social structure in which the strong have control over the lesser creatures."

"False!" Weiss again protested. "Alpha Grimm possess complex synapse nodes which they use to control and direct the movements of weaker Grimm."

Jaune could feel the attention of his classmates turning on Weiss. All around students moved to face her as she confronted their new professor. This was not following the plan of not standing out...

"Is that so?" Qrow offered. "And where did you hear about these 'synapse nodes'?" he asked, using fingers to make air quotations.

"From-"

"Haven!" Jaune interrupted quickly. He couldn't trust the girl to not say something incriminating right now. Leave it to Weiss to _finally_ know what she was talking about, only for that knowledge to be rather... privileged for lack of a better term. "We're second year students. So we've, um, learned more than other students I guess?"

Qrow held his gaze for a few seconds. "Haven," he muttered. His eyes lingered on Jaune a little while longer before moving on. "And what about you two, Miss... Rouge. Miss Xanthic. You learn about synapse nodes at Haven?"

Ruby seemed to shrink under the man's accusatory glare. Yang on the other hand remained defiant, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yeah. What of it?" the blonde offered.

Qrow held his own hands up defensively, sensing the tension in the air. "Nothing, nothing. Just the first I'm hearing of it is all. And I've only been a professional huntsman for the past twenty years."

"Obviously not a very good one," Yang muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

Yang scoffed. "Nothing."

"I bet Professor Port would know what synapse nodes are," Weiss continued. Jaune wasn't sure if he should be thankful or not that doing so interrupted whatever issue Yang seemed to have with their new professor. "He would know about adrenal glands too. Toxin sacs. Bonded exoskeletons. Acidic ichor. Grimm are far more complex than the simple 'mindless beasts' you make them out to be. Any number of them can be completely distinct and unique by their biomorphs and experiences gained by living decades, or perhaps centuries in some cases."

It almost sounded as if Weiss was offended by Qrow's earlier words. That by calling Grimm mindless beasts, he was calling _her_ a mindless beast. An insult that the proud, white-haired girl would not take lying down.

"Look, girl, you're saying a lot of words, and I'm not sure who taught them to you-"

"Proper education and teaching," Weiss interrupted.

"Yes, but from who?"

"Irrelevant!"

Jaune blinked, staring at the girl to his right. "Wow. You actually used that word right."

He received a stern headbutt to the shoulder in return. "I always use my words right!"

"Children, children," Qrow called out, trying to restore some semblance of order to the room. "Save the fighting for Glynda's class. Okay?"

Weiss harrumphed, folding her arms across her own chest much like Yang had.

Jaune leaned over to speak in her ear. "You really need to stop headbutting me," he whispered.

An icy glare was sent his way. He swallowed hard under its cold stare. Eventually she turned away, settling back into a relaxed position.

"I will have to find a way to bring you to heel without my horn, it seems." Her voice was low, an edge to it that made Jaune flush from the game of twister before.

He wasn't sure if this was something to look forward to or not.

"Now if we're done with the hubbub," Qrow started, glaring at Weiss. "Let's continue. Miss Xanthic, I'd like you to come down here."

Jaune groaned to himself, fearing the worst. However Yang made no comment, unnervingly calm as she diligently rose and descended down the stairs. Only now did Jaune realize, holster strapped to her leg, that she was carrying her shotgun. The very idea of it made him want to shrink into his seat. A normal student carrying around their weapon would be odd, Yang carrying around her blood-earned weapon was terrifying.

But again she surprised him, arriving at the center floor without a care. She showed no signs of being any more bothered than she normally was. Crossing her arms, she waited for further instruction. Instruction Qrow was slow to give, Jaune noticing the man looking stunned. Qrow blinked as Yang quirked an eyebrow at him.

"What's the matter, teach? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Qrow glared at her before pulling out a controller. "I want to see just how good Haven has been at teaching you basic Grimm defense. Port left me, on top of some cryptic notes and what looks to be an especially detailed biography, a test." Pressing the button, a cage rose up from the opening floor. "Say when you're ready."

Yang smirked, drawing her shotgun. "Always ready."

Qrow stepped up into the stands, pressing the second button. "Then let's see what you can do, firecracker."

The cage fell away, revealing a pissed off boar Grimm. Boarbatusk, Jaune believed they were called. Snorting, the pig tilted its head in confusion at Yang. She however held no hesitation, rushing the beast and sliding into it, kicking its hoofed feet out from underneath it. Popping it up into the air Yang snatched one of its tusks, a flare of yellow aura bursting as she smashed the Grimm into the stone floor beneath them.

Then, with a hideous crack, she jumped away from the beast. From her left hand she held its now broken tusk, taunting the monster with it. The Boarbatusk was quick to get back to its hooves, making angered noises as it shot out at Yang. Twisting itself into a ball it spun toward her at extreme speed. Speed that did not seem to matter to the girl who casually moved out of the way, easily sidestepping the beast.

The Boarbatusk smashed into the far wall, bouncing off and rebounding back at her. Yang, grinning, met the spinning attack with her left fist, grinning violently as yellow sparks shot from the impact. Suddenly the Grimm started squealing, falling to the ground, his own broken tusk stabbed into his underside. Jaune's eyes widened as he realized she used its own attack to stab it instead. The Boarbatusk started thrashing, until Yang stomped down on the tusk, making it cry out and go incredibly still. Yet still unnervingly alive.

Yang's grin turned violent as she ground her foot into the broken tusk, slowly driving it in further.

"End the fight already!"

Qrow's shout caught Jaune by surprise. The man looked sickened by the display. Looking around, Jaune found that most of the students were wearing similar looks of dismay or horror. What he had been watching with so much interest, they could barely stomach. How much had he changed? A deafening boom brought him out of his introspection, the Boarbatusk's head splattered across the floor, Yang's shotgun smoking from both barrels. As its remains evaporated she flipped her hair before looking up at Qrow.

"That good enough, Qrow?"

Qrow looked shaken. He came back down to his temporary desk, watching Yang saunter back up to her seat. "Going to have to ask Lionheart," was all Jaune could hear him muttering to himself.

Weiss snorted. "Show off. I could have killed such a simple threat far more efficiently." She grinned to Jaune. "But do you feel that wonderful swell in the air Jaune? It's so delicious!"

That swell was the fear Yang managed to produce in the hearts of many of the younger students, sympathy for a Grimm of all things. Jaune's throat was dry as Weiss laughed at the despair of her fellow classmates. Finally he took her by the hand.

"We should go."

Weiss looked at him holding her hand and for once did not argue. Instead she allowed him to pull her up and followed diligently as he collected Ruby.

"What for? It feels so nice in here!"

She didn't argue much when he took her by the hand as well. Yang was already standing, deciding she was going to leave one way or the other. Qrow watched them, but to Jaune's surprise, did not make a move to stop them. Class would have been over soon anyways, he reasoned. They stepped out into the hall with no further incident.

"Weiss, Ruby, could you get changed into something casual? I'd like to talk with Yang." Jaune hoped they wouldn't fuss.

Thankfully they didn't seem to care much, the two bantering as they wandered off to their dorm. Alpha male indeed, he mused. His mates in the pack followed orders from him to the letter. In times like this it turned out to prove very useful.

Looking around he found they were alone. Yang was watching him warily. Still it paid to be safe, and he guided her over to a secluded corner where he urged her up against the wall. He stood in front of her, shielding the girl from any prying eyes that may have been behind them. For all intents and purposes, it looked like a pair of lovers who were about to make out in the hallway.

"Look big boy, I'm into a lot of things, but we're not going to go at it here," she joked.

"You can't do that to people."

She grinned. "That wasn't a people. Not one these humans consider people, anyway. Just what you heard Qrow call them. A mindless beast."

Jaune's eyes narrowed. "The way you talked to him. Do you know him?"

"Of course," she laughed. "He's our uncle. My uncle. Must really be hard for him, seeing me and Ruby like this."

Jaune's eyes went wide. Uncle...

"Yang..."

Her eyes flared red as she grabbed him by the front of his shirt. They reminded him of her Grimm eyes, only here they were present in her human form. "Don't Yang me! If he really loved us, he would have come after us! He would have forced my mother to tell him what happened to us! I don't care what his excuse is, he abandoned us." Her grin returned, revealing too many teeth. "But what does it matter? When he knows what we are, he'll just want us dead. Just like every other human alive. There is no happy ending here, Jaune."

The outburst took Jaune aback. Where was this coming from? Yang had always seemed so carefree. So content with her life as a hybrid. It was all normal for her. But now what was this? Was it regret?

He knew that she knew her birth mother. Unlike Ruby and Weiss, Yang had memories of her past. She hadn't been too young or too damaged by the transformation to forget everything. Those memories obviously included her uncle.

Her uncle obviously remembered her, too.

Blackened veins begun to creep up the exposed flesh of her neck. Even now her skin had begun to pale. No... she was losing her grip on her humanity. And it was showing.

"Yang..." he whispered. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yang not out here. You can't-"

Her arm moved with a flash, slapping his offending hand from her shoulder. "This is your fault. Ever since that day, ever since my Aura was unlocked... and Ruby told me how much she loved me... I haven't been myself anymore. I remember things I wish I didn't. Only now I'm regretting them. I'm regretting what I don't have." She shuddered, her eyes closing and voice becoming shaky. "What I lost."

With those softly spoken words the twisting black veins began to subside, and color returned to her flesh. Despite the fact that she was in pain right now, it was still human. Sorrow was as human as any love was, and right now Yang's heart appeared to be filled with it. It was sadly far better than the animalistic rage that would have transformed her into her hybrid form.

At the very least she wasn't completely freaking out like Blake had that one time back at Salem's academy. Qrow had thanked the gods for small miracles. This was one of them.

How could he convince her that things would be okay? How could he ask her to trust in her family, and say that they wouldn't kill her? Yang still believed him to be a hybrid, after all. He couldn't very well use himself as an example of a human being able to accept her for what she was.

She let go of him, turning away, hand resting on her shotgun. "They're going to find out. They're going to find out that we're monsters and they're going to try to kill us. And I'll be ready. All my life has been a fight, Jaune. And that's how I'll die. Nothing's different, nothing's changed." She turned away, walking down the hall as students began to pour out of their classes, quickly getting lost in the crowd. "See you later, lady killer."

To that Jaune didn't know how to respond.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** And we're back. Sorry for not posting last week, was just feeling a bit burnt out from writing. I've also been drifting away from the roots and support system which got this fic up and running in the first place. I'm going to try getting back to that. Hopefully it'll turn out for the best.

It's been a while since we got some Yang love. She's always been the weakest developed of the RWBY foursome in my eyes, so hopefully this lends a little more insight to her as a character and why she acts the way she does.

As always my thanks go out to **Burkion** , **Lightningstrxu** , as well as everyone else out there for their help, support, and love. I truly appreciate you all, and hope that you enjoyed this latest chapter.

Thanks for reading.


	26. Chapter 26

"And who is this?"

Weiss glared at the newcomer with a heavy, and in her own opinion, healthy dose of skepticism and suspicion. This red-haired, green-eyed trollop might have conned Ruby into friendly behavior, but Weiss was not so easily swayed. Here they were, trying to share a perfectly adequate breakfast to recuperate the energy burned during their late night sessions, when Ruby suddenly bursts forward with this stick of a girl!

"She's my totally normal human friend Penny!" Ruby said.

"Hello hopeful friend Slate! I'm your hopeful totally normal human friend Penny!" Penny echoed.

Weiss' eyebrow arched briefly. Slate, her last name. She would have to keep that in mind.

"Rosalyn," she shifted her glare to her subordinate. "Why are you entertaining this painfully ordinary girl?"

Penny squealed. "You think I'm ordinary?"

"Of course you are. Look at you, nothing stands out. I have never seen a more normal, absolutely unremarkable and drool human!"

Jaune sighed. "Droll, Wren."

"I do not droll, especially in public! That is uncouth."

"Never mind."

Penny didn't seem to mind the discussion, still grinning ear to ear at being proclaimed an ordinary girl. Ruby was smiling along with her, though clearly confused.

"Did someone say Ren?"

Weiss turned, another redhead appearing. Glowering she wondered if redheads were like a virus, infecting people and spreading around. This one was shorter but had a powerful energy around her. As she recalled, this one was Nora. Jaune's head picked up.

"Hey there, yeah. Just chatting about things."

Nora let out a sharp gasp. "I love things! What kind?"

"About how we're totally normal, everyday human girls of course!" Penny said.

"Bor-ring!" Nora stuck her tongue out. "Who wants to be normal? That's awful."

Weiss nodded. "Exactly. Some girls may aspire to be 'normal', but I feel you are a kindred soul, Nora. We will be nothing less than queens."

"You know it, girlfriend!"

Penny gasped. "Are you also dating?"

"What?" Nora took a step back. "Dating?"

"You just referred to Miss Slate as your girlfriend!"

Weiss glowered at the clearly inferior redhead. "It is a simple turn of phrase. Like how one chokes the chicken to make it stop crowing."

Jaune buried his head in his hands, Yang laughing her head off.

"Why would you do that!" Penny asked.

"Well obviously you have to choke the chicken first thing in the morning! Otherwise it'll just keep bothering you for the rest of the day. Right Jaune?" Yang asked, elbowing him.

"I'm not here. Leave me alone." the boy mumbled.

Nora poked him in the back. "You okay there, new kid?"

"He's just tired. Wren and Rosalyn kept him busy most of the night."

"Yang!" Jaune snapped at her.

Weiss smiled to herself, sipping on her morning coffee. A truly delicious human drink, she had to admit. Not only did it taste good, but it gave her energy. Energy she would need to conquer the world. She glanced at Jaune. Among other things. She had certainly made Jaune work last night. However she noticed Nora with a strange look on her face.

"Ren?" Nora asked worriedly.

"Yes!" Penny spoke up first. "Ren and Rosalyn are both dating Jaune!"

Nora blinked, a strange look on her face. "Ren's dating Jaune?"

Weiss chuckled to herself. "Mating, I believe, is the more accurate term."

Nora's face twitched. That was odd. The smaller girl's head twisted to face Jaune, who was only half paying attention. "How-how long have... you and Ren been... mating?"

Jaune waved her off. "I can't answer that! I'm not like the girls. I have some decency."

Ruby snorted. "Yeah, in public."

"We don't talk about that!"

Nora started to laugh. Soon that laughter bubbled into a full blown cackle. "I guess I'll just have to ask Ren myself! And a few other things too!"

Jaune started to stand, looking concerned for her. "You okay?"

"Stay away from me, hussy!" she hissed before running off.

Everyone stared after her retreating form, an uneasy silence falling over the table.

"Well she was pleasant!" Penny spoke up.

Yang groaned. "Why are you here again?"

"Rosalyn said that I could join her and Ren in being Jaune's girlfriend!"

"You've got to be kidding me." Yang stared between Jaune and Penny.

Weiss crossed her arms as well. "I do not recall agreeing to this, Rosalyn."

Ruby shrugged. "We were going to ask you now?"

"So where is Ren?" Penny asked, looking around.

"Are you joking?" Weiss frowned.

Penny stared at her for a long moment. "I do not believe I said anything humorous." She stopped for a moment. "Though I suppose I could have in some grand display of misunderstanding something simple."

Weiss and Ruby traded looks. Suddenly Penny cried out in realization.

"Your name! It's Wren Slate!"

Weiss' eyes darted from side to side. "...yes?"

"Wren! With a double-u sound but silent!"

"That is how it is pronounced yes?"

"Nora and I thought Rosalyn was referring to capital-r Ren, her male companion who she has had an unreasonable and unhealthy crush on for far too long without actually speaking up on her emotional baggage and making a move toward a healthier relationship!" Penny clapped her hands together. "Fabulous! Now I understand why it was so funny that she thought Jaune was mating her friend and long term crush!"

The first sound that followed Penny's declaration was a loud thunk, Jaune smacking his head onto the table. The next was Yang's uproarious laughter, even as Penny stood there as proud as anything. Weiss glared at Ruby.

"You lied to her that I wasn't first mates with Jaune?"

"I did not! I told her clearly that Wren and Jaune were mates!"

"You led her to believe that Jaune was pounding away at the wrong hole of some unworthy male! Instead of servicing my own superior wrong holes!"

"Yang said there were no such thing as wrong holes! Only new experiences!" Ruby insisted.

"Yara!" Jaune quickly corrected her.

"Gesundheit!" Penny followed up randomly.

"Um," a new voice spoke up, thankfully breaking into the increasingly loud conversation. "Are you all okay?"

Weiss looked over the newcomer. Tall, almost as tall as Jaune, she was yet another green-eyed redhead. Frowning, Weiss made a mental note of yet another one. The next one she saw, she swore she'd kill just for the sake of keeping their clearly over-populated numbers down.

"Hello, would you-!"

"Rosalyn!" Jaune called out, interrupting his other mate. Forehead red from repeatedly trying to horn duel the table, Jaune rose to offer the new girl a handshake. "Hey there, name's Jaune Arc. I'm sure I would have said something about that a few months ago but I don't care anymore. Who are you?"

"I'm...you must know, yes?"

She was greeted by five equally unaware faces.

"Um, huh. Well, my name is Pyrrha Nikos." When none of them showed recognition, Pyrrha's head tilted. "You are from Haven, yes?"

"Yes." Jaune nodded.

"No." Weiss responded.

"Who knows?" Ruby shrugged.

"Kind of." Yang took another bite of her increasingly cold eggs.

"I'm from Atlas!"

Team AWRY, plus Penny, stared at each other in confusion.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Kind of?"

"Maybe!"

"I'm from Atlas!"

Jaune took a deep breath. "Guys, let me handle this. Um, so we're team AWRY. I'm the...leader?"

Yang tilted her hand back and forth. "Eh. Leader in name order."

"You are our Captain, Jaune. Just as I am your First Mate," Weiss reminded him.

"Wren, not now," he started to say before crying out in pain.

Weiss grinned at his neck, sinking her teeth in deeper.

"Wei-!" He cut his own scream short, glaring at her. "Why!" He corrected himself.

Weiss detached herself from Jaune's flesh, proud of herself for her newfound way to assert dominance over her mate. "I remembered your request about not headbutting you anymore. So, instead, I decided to bite your neck. Far more preferable, if I dare say so. You do seem to show a preference for my mouth at times."

"First, no talking about that kind of stuff around people!"

Ruby tilted her head. "But we talk about stuff like that and I'm people."

Jaune stared at her. He tried and failed to find anything to say for a good long while. Ultimately he just shook his head. "Yes. Yes you are." Then he turned back to Weiss. "Second! How would you like it if I bit you?"

Weiss's eyes lit up at the prospect. Jaune, exerting his dominance, sinking his teeth into her soft, supple, bare flesh? Raking his fangs across her vulnerable, glistening throat? Leaving bruises, breaking the skin even, applying just the right amount of pressure?

"Wren, you're drolling!"

"Drooling, Ruby!" He spoke up.

"I do not!"

Jaune stood up from the table abruptly. "Forget it. Just," trying very hard not to scream, he turned back to Pyrrha. "Hello my name is Jaune Arc, leader of team AWRY-,"

"I'm from Atlas!"

"That's Penny from Atlas," he continued. "We're from a specialized school connected to Haven." Straining to put on a smile, he tried to appear casual. Though all Weiss could focus on were his brilliant, strong teeth and how- "I am very sorry about all this."

Pyrrha giggled. "I see you are a very passionate group."

Yang snorted. "Yeah, you could say that."

"And none of you know who I am? Truly?"

Weiss wasn't sure why the girl seemed so shocked about this. Must have had quite the ego. She would enjoy crushing her in combat class later.

"I do!" Penny cheerfully exclaimed. "You're Pyrrha Nikos! You told us so yourself, silly. I certainly have no prior knowledge of you or why you would possibly be surprised that your peers wouldn't know who you are!" Then the ridiculous girl started hiccupping.

What friends Ruby was allowed to make, it was enough to make Weiss groan. Then someone suspicious appeared, a dark-skinned girl wearing a white top and a blue skirt. She was staring at her wristwatch and moved in an awkward manner. Weiss's eyes narrowed.

"Penny, we must be punctual. Tell your," Her gaze shifted to the group amassed around the table. "Companions that we must be going."

"Aww, but Ciel!"

"No buts!"

Ruby gasped. "But without butts-" Jaune suddenly shot across the table, clasping her mouth shut.

Weiss approved.

He nodded to Ciel and Penny. "That's fine, we need to be going too! Good seeing you, Penny!"

"Good seeing you, boyfriend Jaune!" Penny waved.

"What did you call him?" Ciel could be heard as she pushed Penny away.

Jaune collapsed next to Weiss, a heavy presence that made her flush. She liked feeling his weight over her in the correct situations. Which were, she had to admit to herself, most situations.

Yang got up from the table as Ruby put on her best betrayed look. "Well, I'm going to get changed for combat class. You guys should probably do the same." She grinned at Weiss. "Though some of us would be better off staying out of fights."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, only that three of us have Aura."

"So?" Weiss crossed her arms. "I'll have you know I do perfectly fine with or without Aura."

Yang laughed. "We'll see, Snow Angel."

"Only Jaune gets to call me that!"

By her side Jaune laughed. Weiss, feeling drawn to his warmth, leaned into his side.

"Um," the voice made Weiss' eyes snap open, realizing that Pyrrha was still there. "I guess I'm going to get ready too."

Ruby glared at Jaune before taking Pyrrha by the arm. "I wanna see your weapons!"

Finally the two were left alone. Soon Weiss felt Jaune's arm encircle her back, wrapping around her shoulders.

"You'll do fine, Weiss." He spoke low, so no one else could overhear him.

Weiss turned her nose up. "Obviously. Who needs Aura anyways?" Glaring at the ground, she made a fist. "I've never needed anyone or anything before. Why should I now?"

"Well, you need me don't you?"

Weiss couldn't keep the grin from her face. "Need is a strong word there, Jaune. I own you. You are mine. You do not need possessions. You simply possess them."

Jaune made a knowing noise. "Well, Snow Angel, we really will be late to class if we don't hurry up."

But the moment he started to move her own arm looped around his neck, keeping him close. She couldn't bear to feel his warmth leave her so soon. The presence he had was comforting in a way. Inviting. She didn't want to leave it.

"Well if that's how you want to be," he started before suddenly standing up, grabbing her legs and back with his arms.

Weiss cried out in shock, protested and cursed all the way. But if she had to admit the truth, she didn't fight very hard to get out of his arms. The more she found herself surrounded by actual humans, normal humans, the more she worried. Was she doing a good enough job? Did she look right? Was she acting right?

Would she be the one to cause Salem's plans to fail?

But with Jaune, none of it seemed to matter. No matter the chaos and problems, things felt safe. That's why she bit his ear when they reached the changing rooms, to remind him who was the dominant one of their relationship.

* * *

Jaune, Yang, Weiss, and Ruby arrived in class together. The girls were wearing outfits similar to their normal ones back at the Grimm class, only cleaned up. The extraneous tears and rips were fixed and the heavy dosage of black replaced with their own unique colors. This did little to change how revealing some of their outfits were, especially Yang's. The blonde girl in particular got several cat calls as she entered the room, which she ate up with aplomb, cocking her hip ever so slightly.

Jaune himself had his armor fixed and rebuilt. Sterling white with one larger shoulder guard, but nothing on the other shoulder, he almost felt like it was missing something. Some kind of gold lining? Hard to say. The biggest change wasn't visible though, he thought as he patted his shield, now much heavier than it had been.

Weiss had a ridiculously oversized weapon, some kind of dust javelin he believed Watts said. It was built to mimic Weiss' normal Grimm weapon, but the girl clearly was not sure how to wield one made of metal like this. Ruby received a no frills mechanical scythe, with a heavy back blade attached. She didn't seem satisfied with it though, but wouldn't say what was missing.

Yang on the flip side only accepted one thing from Watts, a singular gauntlet. Black and yellow, it went onto the hand where her Grimm arm normally would manifest. Otherwise she still had her trophy shotgun. Presently she was at the center stage, talking with Miss Goodwitch.

"Because I want to show what I can do!"

"It's not time for combat exhibition, Yara," the stern teacher glared at her.

"Who cares, just let us fight."

"That is not how you learn!" Glynda smacked her riding crop in her hand. Jaune could see what Weiss meant by it looking like something from a porno.

"Blah, blah, blah, structures and book shit. Fighting is fighting, and you learn by doing!" Yang looked out into the stands. "And you can't tell me no one here doesn't want to do me!"

"I don't!" A redheaded boy sitting beside Sun called out, to the laughter of his team.

"I'm going to ignore this gross, disrespectful display if you go sit down right-," Glynda then found herself interrupted, the doors opening.

Two men entered the room. Jaune recognized them both. Ozpin, the Headmaster, and Qrow, their substitute Grimm Studies teacher. Oz nodded to Glynda, who shifted on the spot.

Tapping her foot, she turned away from Yang. "Very well. Who will be our first volunteer?"

Faster than anyone else could, fellow blonde leader Sun Wukong was on his feet.

"Very well. Come on down when you're prepared."

Not long after, Sun and Yang stood opposite each other, Sun leaning on a bo staff.

"Hey there, Yara," Sun grinned at her. "What brings you here?"

Yang grinned. "The chance to make monkey soup."

"Oh, you wanna drink deep on my broth? Girl, you gotta work for it first."

Yang snapped her chains down at the ground, cracking the stone floor. "Boy, you might be named Sun, but you'll melt under my blaze."

Jaune blinked. He looked over to Ruby who had inexplicably gotten a bucket of popcorn. "Are they flirting?"

"Flirting, fighting, who cares! Get to the blood!" she cried out.

Sun seemed to be peering up into the crowd as he spoke to Yang. "Hey, I haven't seen your friend Blake in a few days. Where's she been?"

Where indeed? The fact that Blake was missing still worried Jaune. She'd been surprisingly absent from under his bed the past few nights.

"You're looking for Blake when you've got a girl like me standing here in front of you?" Yang's tone almost indicated hurt, but it was clear that she was being sarcastic. "I'm offended, Sunshine."

"Sunshine?" Sun smirked. "We're giving each other pet names already?"

"Fitting for the boy I'll make my pet once I beat you," Yang retorted, dropping into a combat stance.

One which Sun himself mimicked. "You've got a lot of fire in you, Yara. I like it."

Yang grinned menacingly. "Careful, Sunshine. Play with fire and you're gonna get burned."

"Enough of this banter," Glynda announced. She raised her hand into the air. "Yara from team AWRY VS Sun from team SSSN." Her arm came down in one swift motion. "Begin!"

The two charged, Sun leaping up and away from her initial strike. Yang hurled herself forward, avoiding his own counter strike. He landed first, rolling into her as she was still turning. Three hard strikes from his staff knocked Yang back, even as the faunus twisted around her, landing a powerful kick to her side.

Yang took the blow and grabbed his foot, pulling the boy off of his feet and swinging him up into the air. Before she could smash him back down with all her might, his staff erupted into several pieces, Jaune realizing that the weapon was actually a series of guns fashioned together.

Ruby's eyes grew wide at the reveal even as Sun unleashed gunshot after gunshot into Yang, forcing her to let him go sooner than she wanted.

"It's also a gun!" Ruby squealed beside him.

Weiss shook her head. "Sounds unnecessary."

Yang stumbled back a step even as Sun landed, kicking her in the face.

"What's the matter, did you get some Sun-burn?" he grinned, until he found chains twisting around his neck. Eyes widening, blue orbs locked with Yang's lilac.

She grinned. "Dunno, but you're about to get ball-busted."

Yanking him forward, Yang smashed her gauntleted fist into his own face, but he wasn't allowed to fly away as Yang kept her grip on his newfound leash.

"Come on monkey boy! Where's that good shit you were talking!" Yang snarled as she landed blow after blow into Sun, the boy trying his best to block the attacks and mitigate the damage.

Jaune tensed up. Yang had to control herself.

"Man, you're a lot of woman to handle," Sun muttered, his Aura levels low.

Yang twisted around him, forcing him to his knees as she pulled the chains tight. Leveling her shotgun at the back of her head she nodded. "You damn well know it."

"Good thing I've got some extra hands!"

Suddenly, to her utter surprise, two golden Suns appeared. The twin glowing apparitions struck Yang simultaneously, one aiming for her knees while the other struck her neck, Yang's grip on Sun instantly broken.

He grinned as he did a spin kick, knocking her across the arena. "Guess you can call this a Yar-bang!" He stopped for a moment. "Man, that doesn't sound right for some reason."

Yang snarled, eyes flashing red. Jaune's breath hitched. Those red eyes. Was that her Grimm side starting to emerge?

Then she began to laugh. "How about a Yang-bang instead?"

Sun clapped. "That's it! That sounds way cooler."

Yang grinned, showing teeth. "I'll be sure to engrave it on your remains."

An alarm sounded, stopping Yang cold.

"Due to being knocked out of bounds, the match goes to Sun of team SSSN!" Glynda announced.

Yang blinked, staring at her footing. Though she landed on her feet, she was indeed past the boundaries. The girl looked confused, not that Jaune could blame her.

The Grimm Academy didn't bother with things like boundaries.

"But I was winning!"

Glynda glared at her. "Maybe, maybe not. The outcome of the match was that you were knocked out of bounds."

"But I can still fight!"

"Then maybe you should work on where you land, Miss Xanthic."

Yang's face screwed up, anger building. Instead she turned and left the room. Glynda shook her head.

"Girl needs to work on her conduct." Glynda looked towards the stands. "Who will be next?"

Jaune felt bad for Yang. Losing like this had to of felt awful for her. Sun was returning to the stands but clearly looked bothered. Maybe he could get the two of them to talk, prove to Yang that normal people could in fact-

Why was Weiss on the center stage?

There she stood, a weapon she never used before in one hand, her other situated on her hip. While he could admire how her skirt left so much of her long legs exposed, she looked so vulnerable to him like this.

"What is she doing?" he hissed to Ruby.

"She said something about avenging team AWRY's honor, or something," Ruby shrugged. "What's the big deal? If she gets hurt she'll heal."

"Ruby, if she gets hurt they're going to know something is different about her."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Oh."

Jaune looked towards their two overseers. Qrow was still as keen as he was when watching Yang fight, but Ozpin didn't seem to care as much now. He grimaced as Qrow briefly looked their way, breaking eyesight.

"Pyrrha Nikos, if you would come on down."

Glynda's voice broke Jaune out of his worries. Pyrrha seemed like a nice, sweet girl. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad?

Penny saddled up next to him. "Hello, boyfriend Jaune!"

He sighed. "Hello, Penny." Looking around, he saw a lot of people whispering to each other as Pyrrha reached the center stage. "So what's got everyone so gossipy?"

"Oh, nothing much. Only wagers about how quickly the white one named Wren will get beaten."

Jaune nodded. Then stopped. "Why is that?"

"Pyrrha Nikos won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row. A feat no one else has ever accomplished!"

Jaune stared at her. "So when you said you didn't know who she was..."

"I was telling the truth!" Hiccup. "I only found out about this after we last met!" Hiccup. "I am sure glad you are my friend and will not judge me for my totally normal and human transgressions!"

Jaune shook his head. "How bad could this be?"

Ruby shrugged. "Pretty ugly."

"Her nickname is the Invincible Girl!" Penny spoke up.

"Are you...trying to help?" Jaune asked.

"Maybe! Is it helping if I told you that she is one of the strongest of her era and a prodigy?"

Jaune stared helplessly at Penny. Ruby patted him on the arm.

"Yes, you're helping," she nodded. "Helping set up how bad Weiss is going to get her butt stomped!"

"Weiss?" Penny tilted her head.

Jaune groaned. "Wren's nickname. That she doesn't like us saying around other people, Rosalyn."

"Whatever. Penny's not people, she's Penny!"

"Penny is most definitely people!" the ginger protested, and then immediately hiccupped.

"You've got to get that looked at," Jaune noted.

"Wren of team AWRY, versus Pyrrha Nikos of team JNPR!" Glynda called out, catching their attention.

Jaune held his breath.

"What is the matter with you, girl?"

Wren looked taken aback. "What?"

"Why have you not raised your Aura?" Glynda glared at the girl, tapping her foot. "I cannot sanction a fight between you and Miss Nikos if you refuse to comply."

"But," Weiss started, panic flooding her. Jaune didn't need to feel her emotions to know what was bothering her. "But I can fight without my Aura!"

"If you will not raise your Aura to acceptable levels, I cannot allow you to fight." Stern eyes judged her severely. "Is this what you really wanted? To waste our time, Miss Slate? Because that is all you are accomplishing."

"I can do just fine as I am!" Weiss made a fist. "Just let me try!"

"That's not how things work, Miss Slate. Return to the stands this instant, before you further disgrace your team and school." Glynda turned to Pyrrha. "I am so sorry that you were disrespected so. You may return to your seat if you wish."

Those words seemed to break something in Weiss, the girl shuddering. Dragging herself over to the stairs, she looked so lost.

"That's fine, ma'am."

So hurt. Afraid.

Murmurs built across the crowd. "She must have been afraid."

"Didn't want to fight Nikos."

"It's the Invincible Girl, who would?"

"Coward."

Vulnerable.

Jaune was on his feet in an instant.

"I'll fight her."

Glynda breathed in sharply. "Mister Arc, I've had about enough of your team for-!"

Ozpin's cane stamped down onto the stonework stairs. "Let him."

Glynda glared up at Ozpin. "Mister Arc has no formal training beyond whatever he learned at whatever outreach school AWRY is from. I do not see how this will be in any way a fair fight, with all due respect."

The headmaster looked between Jaune, Pyrrha and Glynda. "He is one of Leo's students. I wish to see what he has learned. Let him. If Miss Nikos wishes to fight him, of course."

"It would be my pleasure," Pyrrha nodded.

Glynda muttered something to herself before agreeing. "Get down here, Arc."

Jaune met Weiss on the stairs. Tears were beginning to run, her human form leaving her vulnerable to more human emotions.

"Come on Snow Angel, smile." Jaune took her by the arm and pulled her in close. Leaning in, he whispered to her. "We'll get your Aura unlocked soon."

She grabbed him in turn, hugging him tighter. "Smash her face in."

"Which?"

"Both."

He grinned against the top of her head. "I'll try."

Finally they broke apart, Weiss lingering for a few moments before joining Jaune in the stands. Jaune, for his part, felt an anger grow in his heart.

He wasn't angry at Pyrrha, or even Glynda exactly. Just at everything. Everyone. This entire damn scenario. Now he found himself face to face with someone literally called Invincible.

"Jaune Arc of Team AWRY!"

Someone who was a prodigy. Probably trained all her life and won award after award for her skill and power.

"Versus Pyrrha Nikos of Team JNPR!"

Someone who held the entire school in awe of her prowess and was even known to students from as far away as Atlas. While he was only Jaune Arc. But for once, he wasn't worried. He wasn't nervous. Who cared if he wasn't as strong? Who cared if he didn't know half the things she did? Who cared if he didn't have a tenth of her skill!

He was Jaune Arc, and he came into this world through bloody evolution! He fought the worst monsters that existed in Salem's twisted school and survived! Maybe he couldn't win...

"Begin!"

But she'd remember his damn name.

Jaune charged first, Pyrrha immediately on the defensive. She seemed confused when he just swung at her, but the swing was easily blocked. He swung out with his shield, Pyrrha dodging around the strike. That was how the fight started. Clumsy yet powerful swings would be dodged or deflected, Pyrrha peppering him with her own blows instead.

Soon he started to get into a groove of how she moved, of what she was trying to do. She kept trying to set him up to react to her own movements, so she could properly counteract it. Well screw that! Instead Jaune kicked at her, Pyrrha jumping back out of reflex, still in range of his sword as he swung it down.

She rolled out of the way. Lashing out as she moved, she kicked at his feet. Probably thinking she could sweep him off his feet.

She didn't.

Jaune took the blow and didn't even stumble, swinging around, catching red hair with his blade. Strands of red flew into the air, Aura burning away from them as Pyrrha pushed herself further back. She looked surprised for a moment, before a serious glare settled on her face.

"You're sturdy."

Jaune nodded. "You're good. Let's see who breaks first."

She smiled. "Gladly."

She launched at Jaune with a series of sword strikes, Jaune taking the brunt of them with his shield. Pyrrha was skilled, and strong for a human, but he had survived far, far worse. In time he even started to get into the swing of how she attacked, working in her own slashes and stabs. Pyrrha jumped back, sheathing her sword.

 _You've never had to dodge a fist as big as your whole body,_ his mind snarled.

Her sword sheathed, the weapon shifted into a rifle. She had gained considerable ground moving back, and began to fire. Jaune took as many blows as he had to, charging through her gunfire. His shield ate most of the shots, his armor absorbing the rest. Pyrrha jumped up and away as he reached her, kicking off of his back and forcing him to stumble forward.

Only so much though, as he twisted and lashed out his blade skipping off of her shield. Pyrrha landed hard, but didn't have a moment to breathe as Jaune charged with his own shield drawn. This blow connected, Pyrrha's shield arm forced away by his own sword strike. The girl gasped out as Jaune smashed into her abdomen, until she slashed at his face. That made Jaune stumble a step, giving her a chance to break away, Pyrrha planting her foot in his stomach to kick off of.

Flipping, she landed two powerful heel kicks on Jaune's head and shoulder, driving him back further. Shouting, Jaune swung out again, Pyrrha matching the blade with her own. A test of strength, one she was more than qualified to win.

 _You've never had to escape tentacles that would choke the life out of you if you failed._

So Jaune poured on, his body glowing briefly. Pyrrha's natural strength gave way to Jaune's Aura amplification, the Invincible Girl again skipping back and away. She managed to avoid serious damage again, Jaune realizing he just wasn't able to hit her hard enough. Grimacing, he knew how to remedy that.

 _But I have!_ his mind continued to rage. _I may not be as good as you, but I've had to claw and scrape and adapt to survive!_

"Yeah! Go Jaune!" Ruby shouted from the stands. "That's my man!"

Pyrrha's attention moved to them for a second. "Enthusiastic girlfriend you've got there, Jaune."

"Excuse me, you mean my man!" Weiss shouted in turn, loud enough to be heard.

Jaune sighed.

"I thought we were sharing him?"

"We are, you dolt!"

"So what does it matter who he belongs to!"

"Bragging rights!"

Pyrrha blinked. "Girlfriends, I suppose. I'm sorry."

"Yeah." Jaune shook his head. "Yeah."

She was shifting her weapons into a spear as he sheathed his sword. If she was confused, it passed quickly as he locked the ancestral weapon into place, the shield transforming into a greatsword. Pyrrha centered herself, throwing her spear straight on as Jaune charged her. She probably expected him to dodge out of the way, to leave himself open to her next planned attack. Foolish of her.

With a shout, Jaune's Aura twisted higher, white brilliance coating him as her spear bounced off of his shoulder and flew off to the side. She didn't have time to react when he brought his greatsword down onto her shield, bending it inwards with one mighty strike, Jaune continually pumping his Aura higher and higher. When she didn't break, he reared back and swung back down twice as hard, her body flashing red from the effort.

Then something impacted him from behind, her spear returning to its master. He saw briefly her hand glowing black as the spear, bouncing off of him, landed in her grip. She lanced it forward as he brought his greatsword down on her once more, Jaune grimacing as he felt the spear tip stab into his unarmored thigh.

His strike did worse, driving her to the ground, her arm dislocated from the force. His Semblance fading, Jaune knew his Aura was barely hanging by a thread.

He also knew she couldn't be doing much better.

Raising his sword high, he prepared to end the fight.

It was to his confusion that he was then sent flying through the air, an invisible force repelling him as far away from Pyrrha as it could. Smashing into the far wall, even the stone broke as he was embedded within it. Blearily looking, he saw Pyrrha, panting on the ground, one hand raised. Glowing black, like before.

Her Semblance.

Jaune fell from the wall after a moment, landing clear outside the ring. The alarm sounded, but Jaune didn't think he minded too much. He also wasn't quick about getting back up, all of the places she struck him finally catching up. Breathing deeply, he rested his head against the cool floor.

"Good fight," he breathed.

"The winner is Pyrrha Nikos!"

Pyrrha got to her feet, resetting her arm. She stared at Jaune in some manner of confusion and respect. "You're not very skilled...but you are powerful." She offered him a hand. He took it, Pyrrha helping him to his feet. "You must have led an interesting life, Jaune Arc."

Jaune groaned. "A little too interesting." He eyed her for a moment. "Interesting Semblance you've got there."

"I could say the same!"

Jaune smiled. "Semblance or no, you better live up to your name until the tournament comes."

"Oh, why's that Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, eyes playfully narrowing. The two were returning to the seats, Pyrrha sticking close to him.

"Because I'm going to strip you of your title when we meet there."

She grinned. "I'd love to see you try."

"You will not be stripping her of anything!" the sudden voice of Weiss caught him off guard.

"What?" Jaune blinked.

"I will not allow you to take this scourge of genetics as another mate!"

Pyrrha choked on her own laughter as Jaune groaned. "Wren, come on. It's not like that."

"You already have four mates! You do not need any others!"

"It's not like that! And how do you come up with four?"

"Myself, Ru-Rosalyn," she corrected herself. "Yara."

"Still no on that!" Yang shouted, sitting near Sun now. She had returned during Jaune's fight with Pyrrha apparently, though he missed it until now. The two were talking about something.

"You don't have a say in the matter, harlot! And Blake!"

Jaune groaned. "No, and no. No. I'm allowed to be friends with a girl without them being mates."

"That's right, boyfriend Jaune!" Penny cheerfully spoke up.

Pyrrha tilted her head. "You truly have had an interesting life."

Weiss glared at her. "You will not be allowed to sire any more redheaded children into this world, no matter how glossy your skin and supple your hair is."

Pyrrha stared at Jaune, deeply confused. He shrugged.

"Just smile and nod, she'll calm down sooner or later."

Pyrrha nodded in understanding. "Like an agent!"

"...yeah. Sure." Suddenly he felt a great pain on the side of his neck. "Ow, Weiss! Stop!"

Biting down harder, she growled at him. "Pay attention to me!"

"Stop biting me for affection! You're not a cat!"

"What would my being a faunus have anything to do with it!"

Pyrrha giggled, bewildered at their antics. Penny clapped in joy as she started chatting about various cat themed accessories they could get Weiss. Sun and Yang continued to mock spar, Yang playfully punching at the boy in his seat as he held up arms to protect himself. Ruby was staring at her own weapon, as if she was planning something, only half paying attention to the chaos in the stands. Jaune, for all of his complaining, felt great. A serious fight was just what he needed, and now going forward he could figure out how to draw out Weiss' Aura and maybe if they kept making friends like Pyrrha, Penny and Sun, they could get somewhere.

* * *

Eyes of red shined in the darkness. This is where she belonged. This is where she deserved to be. Moving along the wall, she found a certain displeasure with this school. Things were too bright during the day. Too welcoming and friendly. At night, things were different.

Blake twisted along the nooks and crannies of the school walls and ceiling, darting from shadow to shadow. Fangs twisting wide, she couldn't help but salivate.

A young student, maybe a first year, was out in the hall.

She looked to be the right size. Blake needed a new outfit every few days, and what better way to get one? Stalking along she noticed this girl was considerably shorter, more suited to Weiss' size than her own. Blake tilted her head.

Well she could rock a short skirt.

The girl stopped, black twin tails bobbing as she looked up to where Blake had been.

She had good senses. Blake grinned. The girl had mint-green eyes and was wearing some kind of frilly outfit that Blake couldn't wait to try on.

The girl glared at the shadows, continuing on. Blake followed her for a time.

She didn't need her clothes just this moment. She could wait another day or so. Letting the ones smart enough to be wary grow suspicious of what was in the dark always made it more worthwhile when she finally did strike.

A tentacle reached down for the girl, coming just close enough to graze her neck. She twisted violently, striking at what was behind her.

Which was nothing.

The girl looked equal measures pissed, and just a bit paranoid.

Blake grinned.

This one would be fun to hunt.

* * *

Weiss. _Weiss._

He'd heard it. Even if he wasn't meant to. Even if it was a slip of the tongue. He'd heard the boy utter that name. The true name of Wren Slate. Of the girl who looked like Winter Schnee.

Qrow sat alone in his office. He leaned back in his chair and glanced around. An office. He was a teacher now, all right. Complete with the paperwork and privacy required to do said paperwork.

Right now, however, that paperwork could rot for all he cared. Coming here to take over for Professor Port's class wasn't his real reason for being here. He knew it. Ozpin knew it too, even if the man was still in denial.

Qrow _knew_. Before it had simply been a hunch, even if it wasn't. Now though, he had proof. He'd heard it from the boy's lips. They were hiding Weiss' identity. Why? He couldn't say. It made no sense. None of it made sense.

He knew, however, what he had to do about it.

This was information he knew he couldn't simply keep to himself. Ozpin may have been reluctant to commit to a plan of action, but he knew someone else wouldn't be. A person who he may have gotten along with like oil and water mixing together, but someone who needed to know all the same. Had their positions been reversed, and she had heard someone utter Yang's name, he'd want her to tell him. No matter how crazy it sounded, he would have wanted to know.

Qrow grabbed his scroll from his desk's surface and pulled up an unfamiliar number on his contact list. A number he had managed to snag, but had never once called before. He'd never had reason to. Until now.

With a deep breath he pressed the call button and held the device to his ear. He could only hope she would pick up an unfamiliar number. He smiled grimly. Of course she would. Winter Schnee wasn't afraid of the unknown. If anything she would hunt down the suspect who managed to get a hold of her personal scroll number.

 _"Hello?"_ the feminine voice on the other end answered. How about that. He had expected surprise and anger from the woman.

"Winter," he greeted. Another deep breath. "It's Qrow."

Silence. At least for a few seconds. _"How did you get this number?"_

"Not important. We need to talk."

 _"I don't believe I need anything from you, Qrow. How did you get this number?"_ she repeated.

"Don't be so sure of that," he continued, ignoring her burning question. It wasn't important. "You'll want to hear what I have to say."

 _"Then hurry up already. I don't have all-"_

"Weiss is alive."

Even after cutting her off, the effect was immediate. Silence. Utter silence. Seconds passed by, and she hadn't said a word in reply. He wondered if she had hung up on him in disgust. Like he was playing some sort of sick prank on her.

"Winter?" he asked, uncertain if she was still on the other end.

 _"What did you say?"_ she hissed. Somewhere between suspicion and disbelief.

Qrow understood where she was coming from. He had been in shock too once he had sobered up. It wasn't easy to find out your long lost family member was alive and well.

Though, he couldn't say how _well_ they all were. From what he'd seen they were a healthy but eccentric group of kids. But then again could he really say that he and his own Team STRQ teammates had been any different back in the day?

"I said Weiss is alive," he repeated. "I've seen her here at Beacon myself."

More silence. Again, it was understandable that she needed time to process his words. To contemplate the fact that the sister who had gone missing years ago was still alive.

 _"Qrow..."_ she said in a low, dangerous tone. _"Despite our past encounters, this is low. Even for you."_

"This isn't a prank, Ice Queen. I told you that I saw her."

 _"Do not test me with your drunken hallucinations. My sister died years ago."_

"And so did my nieces," he countered. "Or at least I thought they did. But they're here too, Winter. What they'd look like all grown up. One looked just like my old teammate Summer Rose. It has to be Ruby."

 _"Qrow..."_

"Yang wouldn't been seventeen this year," he continued, ignoring her protest. "And Ruby fifteen. It matches up, Winter. The one who looks like you was their age too. You do the math. Would your sister have been old enough to attend Haven Academy?"

It took a few seconds for Winter to respond this time. Rather than anger, there was sorrow in her voice. "Weiss would have been seventeen as well..."

He leaned back in his chair, eyes closed as he continued. He saw the girls in his mind's eye. "It's them. It has to be. My Semblance isn't seeing ghosts, Winter. They're real. Alive and in the flesh."

 _"Qrow. I understand where you're coming from."_ Her tone was softer now. Almost warm. A strange sound to come from the Ice Queen's lips. _"It took me a long time to process the loss too. And it's understandable that you'd want them to be alive if you've seen girls who remind you of them..."_

Red eyes burst open. Was that it? Did Winter think that he was only wishing that those girls were his nieces because he wanted them to be alive?

"This isn't misplaced grief, Winter! And I'll prove it!"

Qrow angrily tore the scroll from his face and put the Specialist on speaker. Opening up his pictures, he selected one he'd taken of the group today in Glynda's class. A nice shot of Yara, Rosalyn, Wren, and Jaune all together. He still had no idea who the boy might be, but right now his only concern was proving to Winter that he wasn't merely grieving.

Sending the picture across continents thanks to the CCT network, it reached Winter's scroll in no time. "You see that, Winter? You look at that picture and tell me that's not your sister."

He needed her to come to Beacon. The silence over the scroll was becoming annoying. More important than that, he needed an ally who truly believed that those girls were who he said they were.

 _"Qrow... where did you get this picture?"_

"I took it today. Here at Beacon. The boy in that picture, Jaune. He called the white-haired girl Weiss. It was a slip of the tongue, but I heard it with my own ears."

He heard a strange sound from Winter's end. A harsh snort through her nose. He wouldn't comment on it. He'd nearly burst into tears himself.

 _"Is this... how she would have looked if she'd grown up..."_ Winter spoke softly.

"She _did_ grow up, Winter. I don't know where, but just look at her. Tell me that's not Weiss and I'll hang up right now."

Moments turned to seconds, and Winter said nothing. She couldn't. How could anyone look at the ghost of their long dead sister in the flesh and deny it was them?

"Come to Beacon, Winter. Come see for yourself."

This really wasn't the kind of conversation they should be having over a scroll anyway. Winter should be here. She needed to be here for her sister. Just as he was here for his nieces. And just as importantly, he needed a partner to go about his investigation. He hated to admit it, but Ozpin's lack of commitment to learning the truth could hold him back.

 _"I..."_

"Do it, Winter. Do whatever it takes. Take time off. Go on a mission. Whatever excuse you need. You have to come here and be here for your sister."

A shaky breath answered his demands. He knew he was getting through to her. Winter didn't just want to believe anymore. She _did_ believe. Seeing was believing, and a picture was worth a thousand convincing words.

 _"I'll be there as soon as I'm capable of finding an excuse to go."_

Qrow smiled. Good.

"Okay. I know it's an odd thing coming from me, but I'll stay in touch." He laughed. "Never thought I'd say that to you."

 _"No. Please do,"_ she pleaded.

In any other situation he would have felt satisfied with himself at Winter's request. Here and now, however? They were on the same side. Their families side.

 _"And Qrow."_

"Yeah?"

 _"Keep an eye on her until I get there. Don't let anything bad happen to Weiss. Understood?"_

Crystal clear. He would have demanded the same of her had their situations been reversed. "You got it, Winter. Weiss is in good hands with me. They all are."

 _"Thank you."_

Again, words he never could have imagined coming from Winter's lips in regards to him.

"It's late, and I'm sorry to have dropped this on you so suddenly. But I'll let you go now. You do what you need to do to get over here. And try to get some rest. You'll need it for what's to come."

 _"Yes. I will. Thank you again, Qrow."_

"It's no problem. I'd want someone else to do the same for me." Never mind the fact that Ozpin had done the same for him. He'd just kept Qrow in the dark until he saw the girls for himself. "See ya around, Winter."

"Have a good night."

With that the call ended, and Qrow once more sunk back into his seat.

He would continue to observe until Winter arrived. Only once they had gathered enough intelligence would they make their move. Only with a combined assault would they confront those kids and the truth about who they were. It wouldn't be today. It wouldn't be tomorrow. But soon they would get to the bottom of just where they'd been all these years. And who was responsible for them being here at Beacon today.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So this was a totally new experience for me. For the first time ever, **Burkion** wrote the majority of the chapter! Normally I write the lion's share of each chapter, but this time he wrote a good 75% of it. And he did a great job at that with all the fight scenes and humor. And on a personal note, it was awesome to only have to write one scene myself while I worked on other projects, including a new super secret collaboration I'm working on with another writer.

You'll notice that we mentioned Team JNPR here. Who's that J? Why, we've decided to take Jacqueline B. Ivory from that JPDE visual novel game and use her! Considering we're already using all the other canon characters, this seemed like a good choice for Pyrrha's partner who won't really play much of a role in this story.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter. I know I sure did. More fun. More comedy. More action. And most importantly, the plot thickens. Winter is coming.

Thanks for reading. Let both Burkion and me know what you thought!


	27. Chapter 27

"There is to be no public fornication at the dance. Do I make myself clear?"

Neo blinked.

She could hardly believe that such a sentence had been uttered aloud. More than that, she could hardly believe that such restrictions would even need to be clarified in the first place.

Just who were these freaks?

Sitting in a cramped dorm room, eight bodies filled a space meant for four. Her teammates, and 'teammates' was definitely using the word at its most liberal meaning, sat atop the beds on one side. She herself was seated next to Mercury, who even at this moment was leaning backwards, only his palms pressed on the bed keeping him from falling onto his back.

A glance over wasn't good enough to read the expression on his face. Looking past him, however, she saw the other two. The closer of the two was Cinder, the young woman who had just spoken the instructions. A look which screamed at Neo 'I'm so done with this' was plastered on her face.

Sitting on the other side of Cinder was Emerald, a thief with a clear soft spot for the woman she sat next to. Loyal and fiercely protective of Cinder, she often clashed with their only male companion over the most trivial and inconsequential of matters. Even in Neo's short time on the team she could tell that it was a dysfunctional unit at best, held together only by the domineering will of its leader.

"But then how am I to show all of the other shanks that Jaune belongs to me?" the white-haired girl across from them asked.

 _Shanks?_ Neo thought with a soft frown on her face.

The foursome on the other beds in the room, Team AWRY as they were called, were an odd collection of teenagers. Weiss, as was her true name, was weird. Of that there was no doubt. To be at odds with Cinder about why she couldn't have sex with her... boyfriend apparently, in the middle of Beacon's school dance meant that she had to have a few screws loose. But if she was his boyfriend, then why did that Ruby girl also have an arm linked around the boy?

This Jaune Arc kid was apparently quite skilled with the ladies if he was dating two of them at the same time. Was it some sort of Semblance? Or did he just possess natural charm? Whatever the case, Neo was determined to be on-guard. She would not fall prey to the boy's machinations and wiles.

"Skanks," Mercury corrected her. "You mean skanks."

"I'm sure you'd know all about those," Emerald sniped.

"Yeah, I've got one on my team," he countered.

"Skank a shank!" Weiss declared.

Emerald folded her arms across her chest, covering up the ample cleavage she liked to display. Some girls just had no class. They left no air of mystery to their bodies. Didn't she know that it was what guys _couldn't_ see that was most appealing to them? Let them use their imaginations!

"Dick," she muttered softly as red eyes stared past her leader at the gray-haired boy.

Neo's lips curled into a small smirk. When Roman had first informed her that she would be playing a role in the upcoming festivities at Beacon Academy, she had been skeptical. Neo was a free spirit. She liked to be in control of her own destiny. Most of all, she did not enjoy taking orders from others. The idea of being forced onto an undercover huntsman team at Beacon robbed her of all her freedom and choice.

Worse still, Roman had confessed to her that he himself didn't exactly have a choice in the matter. Those who had contacted him were going to change the world, and he couldn't stop them. He had one of two choices. Join them and aid them in their plans, or perish. As the old saying went, if you can't beat them, join them. Roman had joined and brought Neo along for the ride. It was better than dying, she supposed.

"Yeah I've got one," Mercury replied quickly. "If you want it so badly just say so. Or was Weiss right and all this hostility from you is really just pent up sexual frustration?"

Another look at Weiss revealed a hopeful smile on her face, and her glance shifted between Emerald and Mercury with eager anticipation. While Neo wasn't exactly inclined to believe that there was belligerent sexual tension between the two teens... she also wouldn't have been surprised if that actually were the case.

"You're so nasty," Emerald stated flatly.

"Which is why you wanna do the nasty with me, I guess." If Neo could speak she might just have whooped or hollered, because that was a sick twist of words on the boy's part.

The dark-skinned girl stood, hands reaching for her holstered pistols. "I will murder you, bionic-boy," she snarled.

"Skank a shank!" Weiss offered unhelpfully again.

"Enough!" Cinder snarled, raising her voice enough to assert control, but not to yell. She was working hard to maintain her composure, but with the collection of oddballs in the room it was proving to be quite an arduous task. "Weiss, dear. The correct phrasing would be 'shank a skank." The dark-haired woman conjured a small dagger in her fingers out of what appeared to be glass. Probably to emphasize what exactly a shank was. Neo had to admit, that was pretty cool.

Weiss nodded, eyes staring intently at the small blade in Cinder's hand. "I'll remember that."

She'll remember to shank a skank? Neo liked this one's style.

Emerald sat down without question or hesitation. Even Mercury stiffened briefly before his relaxed posture once more took over. Neo remained seated and still all the while, her hands neatly folded atop her lap as she watched the chaos unfold before her.

She had once thought that being trapped at Beacon with these people would be boring. But honestly? This was a lot more fun than she was used to. It was like real-life crappy daytime TV. A soap opera of clashing personalities and egos with a dash of sexuality sprinkled on top. The question of 'will-they won't-they' hung in the air over her two teammates. Apparently three of their comrades were already doing the deed. What was next? Was Neo herself going to get some action too? If so, from who?

"As I stated," Cinder continued slowly. "There will be no vulgar or lewd acts at the dance. You are there to enjoy yourselves and blend in with the rest of your classmates. Mingle. Eat and drink. Dance. It's fine if you show affection to one another, just do not draw _too_ much attention to yourselves. Understood?"

The quartet opposite of them all nodded. Neo still wondered just how lecherous the teenagers must have been if Cinder needed to tell them not to engage in public sexual activity. Roman was right. Kids these days were getting weirder and weirder.

"I'll keep them under control," the blond boy, Jaune, stated. Weiss' smile for some reason deepened in response to the words, and she clung to him tighter.

"Yeah," the redheaded one agreed. "We'll save that for _after_ the dance."

A set of pink and brown eyes once more darted between those who had just spoken. Who knew that Beacon Academy, or maybe even any huntsman academy, harbored such nymphomaniacs? Had Neo known that attending one of these academies would be more akin to a 24/7 party with sex, drugs, and drinking, she might have just chosen a different path in life.

"What you do in your free time is your business," Cinder forced between gritted teeth. "However at the dance you are to be on your best behavior."

It was still odd to the young woman that Cinder had to keep emphasizing the point. These were just teenagers after all, weren't they? Why did the mastermind of this operation seem so insistent on driving the point home?

"I've got this," Jaune said again before standing. The rest of the girls on his team followed suit. "Come on, let's get out of Cinder's hair."

At least he could read the room. With the message read loud and clear, he didn't want his... unique teammates to cause anymore undue stress to the woman. Jaune exited the room followed by the trio of eccentric girls. When the door shut, Cinder let out a loud sigh.

"The things I do for power..." she grumbled, the air of mystery and seductiveness her voice so often held gone completely.

"Now that they're gone should we get down to business?" Emerald asked.

Neo wondered why the others weren't privy to this information. Were they untrustworthy? Incompetent? Were they pressed into service like she was, and thus could not be in the loop on the greater part of the plan? If so, what did that say about Neo herself?

"Proceed," Cinder authorized.

"Yes, ma'am. I just have a question. Why exactly did you volunteer our team to... handle the dance preparations?"

Why indeed? Neo had no experience in decor other than painting the walls red with the blood of her victims. While that would have been a fitting theme for a Halloween party, Autumn was still a little while away.

"The team that had been assigned to handle the party planning is away on a mission," Cinder noted. "And the teacher who is accompanying them has been replaced by a very familiar face."

"Qrow Branwen," Mercury nodded knowingly. "I still can't believe he's here."

Neo wondered just what kind of history the three had with the professional huntsman. All Neo knew was that she didn't like him. He smelled like the worst types of trash she dealt with in the alleys and gutters of Vale.

"Relax, he doesn't know who we are," Emerald said with surprising charity. "I made sure our faces were blurred during the whole... incident."

Again, what incident? Neo didn't like being in the dark about things. Especially when things concerned her.

A click on the ceiling drew her gaze up. A set of watchful eyes peered up at the ceiling, but there was nothing. Probably just the natural sounds of creaking wood as it expanded and contracted during the day.

"In any case, your dance participation is merely insurance," Cinder explained. "We are, after all, innocent students who are just visiting from Haven. We mean no harm. In fact, we will go out of our way to help out in any way we can. If we actively take a role in helping, then no one will be suspicious of our hindering activities."

The explanation made sense to Neo. Go out of your way to act like a friend and no one will suspect you of being an enemy. It was one of the oldest tricks in the book.

"Understood. But why is it only..." Emerald paused, glancing over at Mercury. "Me and _him_ doing it?"

The earlier charity had vanished, and her clear disdain for the boy was back on full display. She hoped it would erupt into another full-blown argument.

"The reason, my dear, is because I already have a role to play on the night of the dance," Cinder offered with a wave of her hand. "I will be infiltrating the CCT tower while you and Mercury play hostess and host for our honored guests."

A scratch on the wall whirled Neo's head around. Again, there was nothing.

Heterochromic eyes narrowed, and a small frown crossed Neo's lips. Did the boy beside her not hear it too?

"How much time do you think you'll need to get in and out?"

Cinder shrugged nonchalantly. "Only a few minutes, but it won't be an issue. Everyone's attention will be focused on the dance. Any guard presence there will be minimal." Her tone darkened. "And dealt with if they get in the way."

Neo smirked at the no-nonsense phrasing, only to glance up at the ceiling once more.

"I still don't know why you made that Neon girl the DJ," Mercury groused. "I could have been an awesome DJ."

Emerald snorted incredulously. "Just because you break dance, and badly at that, doesn't mean you can DJ."

The boy offered a mocking snort of his own in response. "You're just jealous that I have rhythm and you don't."

Emerald's response was lost on Neo when she felt something hot blow on the back of her neck. She twisted around once more, knowing that this wasn't some simple trick of creaking wood. Someone... or something was there.

"Once the tower has been hacked the first step in the plan will be complete. Shortly after, our allies in Mountain Glenn will proceed with their own operation. Is Roman almost ready, Neo?"

Eyes glanced all around the room searching for the source of the heat. Could it have been something coming from the overhead vent? Maybe the heat had been turned on? No, it wasn't even cold out yet. Then what had that... sensation been?

"Neo."

The girl was snapped from her thoughts by the sound of Cinder's voice. A look over showed three sets of eyes staring back at her expectantly.

"Please pay attention," the dark-haired woman ordered.

Neo frowned, not having any sort of excuse for losing her focus. She wasn't about to start pointing randomly around the room saying that something strange was going on. She had a certain swagger of her own she had to maintain.

The small girl nodded, shifting her focus to Cinder and giving the woman her undivided attention.

"Are Roman and the White Fang almost ready to proceed with their part of the plan?"

Neo nodded, a confident smile on her face.

"Good. Things are going to get very interesting around here soon."

The tiny woman stole another glance above her as Cinder continued to speak. No sign of anything unusual. No one in the room but them.

So then why did it feel like she was being watched?

* * *

Beacon. It had been a long time since she was here. The air was... different now.

There was hope in the air. For the first time in forever.

Winter Schnee glided down the steps of her personal air ship, her shoulders straight and head held high. There were no Atlesian Knights at her side escorting her. No, she was not here on business. This was no military operation. She was not escorting precious cargo. No, this was personal.

This was about family.

The Specialist sucked in a shaky breath as her boots touched down on the concrete of the landing pad. Here on solid ground now at Beacon Academy, it felt like she had gone five years back in time. Back to when she had first touched down in Atlas Academy itself, anxiety had gnawed in her stomach. Doubt had filled her mind. She had wondered if she would have what it took to become a huntress. To become a Specialist. To become a warrior who could protect others from the fell creatures of Grimm.

Others like her sister who had been killed by the monstrous beasts. At least... that was what she had thought back at the time.

The woman strode with purposeful steps, each one becoming more powerful and confident than the last as she made her way toward the academy itself. In the distance, the large CCT tower stood, a gift from Atlas so that those here in Vale could reach out across the world. The device that had allowed Qrow to reach out to her. Qrow. For all their animosity toward each other, she knew she would be forever indebted to him for what he had done for her. For reaching out and sharing what he saw and heard about the mysterious white-haired girl.

Winter's heart seized in her chest. _Weiss... just hold on a little longer, my dear sister._

She couldn't wait. She couldn't hold back. Even now her icy-blue eyes threatened to tear up just at the thought of speaking to her sweet little sister again for the first time since they were small children. For all her training and discipline, there were just some things the military couldn't drill out of you. Her feelings for Weiss were something which had never left her. No, they had been what spurred her on to become one of the top Specialists in the kingdom.

Stepping into the main courtyard of the academy, Winter glanced around, taking in the sights around her. Students of all ages and kingdoms milled around, and she recognized the uniforms of each of the three proper academies. Those in civilian clothes were from Vacuo, no doubt. On a normal day she might have been inclined to internally chastise the lack of proper etiquette of those who hailed from Shade Academy, but not this day. This day...

"Winter."

The familiar gravelly voice made her stop in her tracks. For the first time since meeting the man, the voice didn't get under her skin. It didn't make her face scrunch up or place a sharp insult on her tongue.

No, today Winter turned to see the familiar sight of Qrow Branwen leaning back against a wall. His arms were folded across his chest casually, and those small red eyes of his gazed intensely into her own.

Winter spun on her heel and marched over to where he stood. The man in turn pushed himself from the wall, his hands coming down to rest in his pockets as he came to meet her halfway.

"Qrow," she greeted neutrally. It was the best she could muster, even if she didn't currently harbor any ill feelings for the man. "Where is she?"

The man grunted. "Typical Atlas," he sniped. "No subtly, no patience."

Winter's face twisted. She hated that she was vindicating what Qrow had just said, but she wasn't in the mood for his games. "This is not the time to joke," she snapped. "Do _not_ for an instant think that you can toy with me about a matter of such grave importance."

"I'm not toying with you," he retorted just as sharply. "And I'm not joking. You really think I'd mess with you about your family? You think I'd joke with you when it's _my_ family on the line too?"

The questions broke through a haze of anger and impatience that Winter hated to admit she possessed in that moment. She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath before continuing. "No, of course not," she admitted. "Forgive me, I'm a little bit on edge right now."

He waved off her concern with a soft flick of the wrist. "It's fine. Trust me, I was no better. You should have seen the way I chewed out Ozpin for dumping this on me as a surprise."

Winter couldn't imagine that. She had come here knowing full well what to expect. Had she seen a girl who resembled Weiss out of the blue... and Qrow had known about it without telling her...

She had to hand it to the man. At least he had the courtesy to prepare her for such a bombshell.

"Very well," she conceded grudgingly. "I assume that you have some sort of plan on how to proceed then?"

Qrow motioned with his head for her to follow him. Winter did so, matching his pace to walk at his side.

"You can't just go up to her and call her out on who she is," Qrow explained as they strode through the courtyard. "Here at Beacon her name is Wren Slate. She's hiding her name, and she knows it. She and the rest of her team are working to stay under the radar apparently, but I can promise you that their actions alone are making that impossible."

Winter frowned. "Impossible how?"

Qrow chuckled in turn. "Oh you'll see. In the meantime, you and I are going to play along. She's not Weiss Schnee, just as my girls aren't Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose. They're Wren Slate, Yara Xanthic, and Rosalyn Rouge, and they're second year students from Haven Academy. Understood?"

The Specialist hated how Qrow was talking down to her. Giving her orders like he was her superior officer. Still, in this very specific situation, he almost was. He knew more about the situation than she did. He possessed experience with the students that she didn't. As much as she didn't want to, Winter would have to follow Qrow's lead here.

For now.

"I understand," she confirmed. Her expression softened, and she couldn't meet his gaze as she continued, instead choosing to stare straight ahead. "Just tell me this. When will I get to see her?"

He laughed again. "Sooner than you might think. I just needed time to explain the situation to you first."

The answer prompted her to look at him this time. "Sooner than I think?"

"Yup. Where do you think I'm taking you?"

Winter glanced around. She didn't quite know where they were going, being unfamiliar with Beacon's campus arrangement. Again, and begrudgingly, she had simply been following his lead.

"I don't..."

She stopped.

She saw.

Her eyes widened.

There, over in the distance, like a lighthouse beaming its bright rays out on a stormy night, was a head of pure, white hair atop a black school uniform. It, she, called to her. Guiding her to the safety of the harbor, protecting her from the treacherous rocks of the coastline around her.

Her sister. Weiss.

A hand came up to cover her mouth as she bit back a choke. As the sturdy walls of her Atlesian upbringing and military training began to crumble around her.

Winter flinched, feeling a hand come to rest on her shoulder. "Easy, Winter," Qrow spoke softly. "Don't make the same mistake I did."

She didn't know what mistake that had been, but Winter was gracious Qrow was there to restrain her. Even with his earlier warning, she was tempted to run over there and envelop her long lost sister in a bone-crushing hug utterly unbefitting of a Schnee.

The Specialist's head shook softly, matched only by the shakiness of her voice. "It's her," she whispered. The tears once more welled up in her eyes, and this time she couldn't stop them. "It's her. I know it."

"I know," he agreed. "She's with my girls too."

There was a warmth in Qrow's voice when he said those last words. Winter peered up at him to see an unfamiliar smile curling up on his lips. Qrow either didn't know or didn't care she was staring at him in such a state of happiness, and the utterly alien smile was contagious. Winter's own expression shifted, and she wiped away a happy tear as she grinned at the sight before her.

Weiss was with three other students, all of them clad in the black uniforms of Haven Academy. Her sister was chatting animatedly with a redheaded girl, and in the middle a tall blond-haired boy separated them as they stood. On the other side of the redhead was a taller blonde girl who watched the other three with a bemused expression on her lips.

Talking. Laughing. Wild hand motions and arm flailing. Teenagers having fun together. Weiss was on a team. She was alive and well, and she had a team of comrades to look after her. To ensure she would never fall victim to a Grimm attack ever again.

Her sister was... having fun. She had friends. Winter swallowed hard, wanting to sob in joy at the sight. She didn't know what Weiss had been through, she didn't know how she had survived, but she was happy. She had people who obviously cared for her.

Weiss latched her arm around the boy's, pulling herself close to him and pressing her chest up against his body.

She had a boyfriend!

The redhead did the same, creating a tall, blond sandwich between the two affectionate girls.

The smile immediately left her face, replaced with something in the middle of confusion and anger. Just what _was_ the relationship between those three?

"You'll get used to it," Qrow said, as if reading her mind.

Winter watched as Weiss and the redhead continued to go back and forth with each other, all the while remaining latched on to the boy between them. The sight gave her pause, and for a moment she didn't quite know what to say or think about it.

"Will I?" he asked genuinely.

She heard Qrow sigh beside her. "Not really. It's... hard seeing one of your girls in a relationship with a boy you don't know. It's harder when you find out that she's sharing the guy with another girl."

Winter's eyes widened and her lip twitched. Was that... was that the reality of the situation?

Her gaze returned to Qrow once more, an incredulous expression on her face. "You can't be serious."

"Oh I'm serious all right. The boy, his name is Jaune, and I joked once about him being like my brother-in-law all over again." He sighed again. "I wish I wasn't more correct than I originally thought."

Blue eyes once more focused on the quartet of students. For all the... unusualness or their situation, they didn't seem unhappy. No, in fact Weiss seemed quite content if her smile was anything to go by. She didn't know the details of the apparent relationship, but if they had found a way to all get along in sharing their love, could she really judge them?

Of course she could. "When this is all finally resolved and out in the open, I am going to get to the bottom of their relationship. A Schnee should share with no one."

"Good luck with that. I think you'll find that your sister is quite smitten with Mister Arc there."

Sure enough, Weiss gazed lovingly at the boy who was apparently her boyfriend.

"Come on. Let's go say hi."

A chill ran down Winter's spine. "What?"

Qrow took a step forward. "We have to introduce our new staff member," he said with a wink. "After all, you're going to be knee-deep in these kid's lives from now on."

Winter took a deep breath, and after a few seconds her legs remembered how to move as well. Another shaky breath. She clenched her fists before allowing them to relax. This was it. She was going to meet her sister. Would she... would she recognize her? Would she remember who she was?

If she did, what then? That was something Qrow hadn't taken into account.

It was too late to protest the decision, and the duo was spotted by the idling teens. Four sets of eyes fell upon them, and Winter felt as though she was being judged by General Ironwood himself. She nearly balked when familiar icy-blue eyes met their counterparts. Weiss was staring right at her.

And she did nothing.

"Team AWRY," Qrow announced when they neared. "I'd like to introduce an old colleague of mine who's going to be helping me fill in Professor Port's hefty shoes." The man stopped in front of the students, and Winter came to a halt beside him. "This is Specialist Winter Schnee of the Atlas military."

Winter dipped her head slightly in respect. "Greetings, Team AWRY," she said, putting up the best mask she could to hide her emotions. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Three of the teens smiled back at her. The redhead was the first to speak. "Whoa, you look just like Wren!" She extended her hand, and Winter offered hers to take it. The Specialist's teeth clenched inside her mouth as the girl clamped down and shook her hand. "I'm Rosalyn! It's nice to meet you!"

By the gods was that girl strong. Her surprising strength almost overshadowed the fact that she mentioned how similar Winter looked to the other girl. Yet the connection didn't seem to click for her, nor any of the other teenagers. Interesting.

Speaking of the other girl, the one Winter knew as Weiss daintily took the sides of her skirt in her fingers and dipped her legs down in a textbook curtsy, lowering her head as she did. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well. I am Wren Slate, and I look forward to learning all I can from an authority from Atlas."

Yet another chill coursed through Winter's body. Weiss' voice would have undoubtedly changed since they were younger, but the demeanor... the girl's demeanor screamed Atlas. It screamed Schnee. Everything about her, from her physical appearance to her mannerisms only proved that this girl was her sister.

She was shaken from her thoughts when the next person spoke. "Hey, I'm Jaune Arc," he offered with a small wave and a small smile on his face. "Nice to meet you."

He seemed nice. A little timid, but then again he _was_ speaking to a highly-regarded Atlesian Specialist. At least he had manners. Those would be important for any boy who dared to court her sister.

Winter would be certain to give this one a little extra attention. Second only to Weiss. She wanted to find out as much as she could about the boy who had eyes for her.

The last to speak was completely unlike any of the others. The blonde girl who Qrow had referred to as Yara. "Yo," she offered without so much as a smile. Or a name.

Winter frowned. Did the girl not like her for some reason?

She shook her head. That wasn't important. Pale blue eyes scanned over the foursome before they settled on Weiss once more. "You look... well."

Weiss beamed from what she perceived as a general compliment, rather than her older sister being overjoyed that she appeared to be healthy and happy. "Thank you, Specialist Schnee. You do as well."

"Tell me. Where are you all from again?"

Though the question was asked to the group, Winter's attention being focused on Weiss seemingly prompted her to be the one to answer it. But not before she shared a curious glance with Jaune. "We're second year students from Haven Academy," she offered politely.

"Yeah, did the uniforms not give it away?" Yara asked sarcastically.

"Yara!" Weiss snapped. "Mind your manners!"

Though Winter's expression betrayed no emotion, she grinned on the inside. Yes, this one was most certainly a Schnee. Whether she knew it or not.

The blonde girl shrugged indifferently. "Whatever."

"Certainly an interesting collection of personalities." Winter's gaze traveled over them once more. "It's astounding you've managed to succeed as a team with how... different you all seem."

To Winter's surprise and mild annoyance, Weiss pressed herself harder against Jaune. "We are, but only because Jaune helps to keep us in line." One of the hands that linked around his arm began to rub it affectionately. Her tone changed to match the sentiment. "He's strong. And he keeps us all in our place..." She grinned. "Especially me..."

Winter didn't know, and didn't _want_ to know what her younger sibling meant by that. However, if her actions, as well as the boy's reaction to them were anything to go by...

Jaune leaned down to whisper into Weiss' ear. "Not now..." he urged.

The boy's awareness didn't quash the simmering anger building inside Winter, however.

"Later, yes," Weiss agreed ominously.

Winter's jaw clenched.

In the end it was Qrow who was forced to bail everyone out of the situation.

"Well now that you're all acquainted, I'll let you be on your way," Qrow said. "We can't hassle you outside of school hours, now can we?"

"It's no hassle at all, professor," Weiss offered politely. Her attention turned back to Winter, and a paradoxical fire burned in those cold eyes of hers. "I hope you have as many amazing stories about your experiences as a huntress as Professor Port did. Though of course he is a huntsman rather than a huntress, except for the one time he was forced to cross-dress in order to infiltrate a nest of Spiders in the seedy underbelly of Mistral's criminal underworld."

Weiss' statement raised too many questions for Winter to ask, and after a moment of hesitation she smiled down on the younger girl. "Of course. I have many tales of missions and battles I have partaken in. Are they... something you would be interested in hearing?"

Her sister's eyes lit up. "I would be thrilled to hear of your exploits! Perhaps if you are as brave and cunning as Professor Port we could arrange for you and him to procreate in order to birth many strong children!"

Winter's eyes widened. "I'm sorry? What did you say?"

She felt Qrow's hand on her shoulder once more, and he began to guide her to turn around. "I think that's enough excitement for one day." He hurriedly began to push Winter away from the group. "We'll see you tomorrow for class. Don't be late."

"We won't! Bye Professor Branwen!" Rosalyn waved after them. "And Specialist Schnee!"

Winter was too shocked to offer her own parting words. Instead Qrow continued to shove her along until they were away from the students.

Weiss' words were still fresh in her mind. Despite that, however, she still had to question them to Qrow. "What did she say to me?"

The man laughed. "Winter. You're in for wild ride."

She didn't like how ominous those words sounded. After seeing how Weiss acted around her boyfriend and presumable girlfriend, insinuating how Jaune 'kept her in her place', and desire to set Winter up with Professor Port in order to have children...

Was her sister some sort of wild pervert?

"Qrow, I have a lot of questions for you..."

"And I'll answer as many as I'm able to," he replied helpfully. "But I think you'll come to find there's some things you'll only be learn firsthand. Today was just an appetizer for the main course. So just get ready to play teacher in the coming weeks. It'll be your best chance to learn about these kids."

The coming weeks. Winter did not have that much leave time to use. However, she knew that a shipment of brand new Atlesian Paladins were going to be making their way to Vale soon. Perhaps they would need an officer of the highest caliber to ensure they were not attacked and stolen like an earlier shipment had been.

"Understood."

"Until then get some rest. It was a long flight I'm sure, and the shock of seeing and hearing everything you just did had to be draining." The man chuckled, sounding like some guttural noise in his throat more than anything. "Oh, and there's a dance coming up soon. So I hope you're ready to have some fun watching a bunch of teenagers being awkward together."

Fun. Awkward. As if anything could get more awkward than what had just taken place.

Still, if it meant an opportunity to observe Weiss in a more relaxed, natural environment, she'd take it.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she replied honestly.

* * *

Jaune was worried. Yang broke away from the group almost immediately after meeting Qrow and Winter, heading over to one of the nearby buildings. Winter was another problem all her own, very clearly related to Weiss in some way. He couldn't believe she wasn't a blood relative, and was mildly amazed that the younger girl hadn't noticed herself. The same couldn't be said of Yang.

"Yo, Jaune!"

The voice caught him off guard. Turning, Jaune found his fellow blonde, Sun, rushing up to him. Another one, a blue-haired boy, was at his side.

"What's up dude? Rare to see you without one of the girls on your arm!" Sun smiled, coming to a stop near him.

Jaune's smile was strained. He needed to get to Yang. "You know, things happen."

"Nothing bad, I hope," his fellow blond said genuinely. "Speaking of nothing bad-"

"That is an awful way to introduce me," the other boy interrupted.

Sun smirked and shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Fine, fine. Jaune, I want to introduce you to this guy," he said as he pointed a finger gun sideways at the boy next to him. "My brother from another mother. My crewman who's also a human. My teammate that's scared to hydrate. And my partner the wannabe lady charmer. The one, the only, Neptune Vasilias!"

The buildup in Sun's tone paid off as he took a step away from Neptune, allowing the boy with spiked blue hair to smile with boyish good looks that would make any lady swoon. He certainly had poise and confidence, that was for sure.

"But I just call him nerd boy."

That confidence evaporated instantly, as did the smile which transformed into an offended frown immediately. "Hey! I'm an intellectual, thank you very much!"

"A nerd is a nerd by any other name."

"This coming from the guy who scared off a girl just by talking to her."

To Jaune's surprise, Sun merely laughed off the playful insult. "I think she liked me. You can't talk about how much you hate a guy to his face unless you're just messing around."

Oh, Sun. Poor, sweet, naïve Sun. If only you knew how wrong you were…

Neptune laughed too. "Keep telling yourself that, champ. But maybe we should be asking this guy for lady advice," he said, turning his attention back to Jaune. "How did you end up with two hotties? They're both so great and you've got them both!"

Sun rolled his eyes. "Sorry about him. He's stupid."

Jaune sighed before a soft grin came to his face. "I don't know. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Dude I don't believe it now, and I've seen them try to fight each other just to hug you!"

Jaune grimaced. Hug, yes, that's all that was going to be. Ruby wasn't as amorous as Weiss, generally speaking, though her competitive streak could be sparked by the slimmer girl. He wondered briefly if it was due to lacking Aura, lacking that almost human quality that Ruby and now Yang had. A dark expression crossed his face, one he couldn't hide from the duo.

"Man, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine," Sun started.

Jaune shook his head, stopping him. "They mean a lot to me. And I guess I mean a lot to them. It's weird to talk about." Jaune stepped away, looking over the school. "The school we come from," he paused, knowing he had to choose his words carefully. "It's not like here. It's not nice and pleasant. It... felt like if you made a single mistake, you could die." A genuine grin crossed his features as he thought of all his near-death experiences. Of all the times he had shared with the girls. Of Ruby saving his life from Cardin's wrath. "But they made it possible. They were there for me in the worst of times, even if they don't know how important they were."

Sun crossed his arms. "Even that Blake chick? 'Cause she's going to Beacon now."

Jaune couldn't stop his laugh. He had told Sun that they were childhood friends, and he could still use that to his advantage. "Yeah, even Blake. She's well-meaning, I think."

"Gods alive, not another girl on your pile," Neptune groaned.

"No, no!" Jaune shook his head. "Not like that. I'm only dating Rosalyn and Wren I promise."

Sun smiled softly. "She is beautiful though, isn't she?"

Jaune nodded. "Blake is something else. I don't know if I'm more afraid or enthralled by her."

"Uh, dude?" Sun wasn't looking at Jaune.

"My, aren't you a charmer?"

Jaune paled. That last voice wasn't either of the two boys in front of him. A melodic laughter drifted from behind him.

A whisper of hot breath tickled his neck. His skin crawled with goose bumps. "It can always be both, lover."

His head lowered slightly. "Hello, Blake."

The missing beauty moved fluidly up to his back, and she stood on the tips of her toes to rest her chin on his shoulder. Jaune noticed her glaring at Sun out of the corner of her eye. "Hello, darling." She was wearing a different uniform.

"Hey what's with the new look!" Sun tilted his head, noticing what Jaune had already picked up on. "I thought you were a Beacon student?"

Blake was now wearing the uniform associated with Atlas Academy, rather than her Beacon uniform from before. She grinned. Despite having lips, it was still all teeth.

"I decided to refresh my look. A lady needs to have options, after all."

Sun and Neptune traded glances. Neptune dared to speak up first. "Did you two know each other before school started or something?"

Blake partially buried her face into Jaune's neck, the boy freezing as he felt her teeth along his collarbone. Even out of her Grimm hybrid form, they felt razor-sharp. "Or something."

"How are you?" Sun stepped forward, holding his hand out. "I wanted to say sorry for before!"

Blake hissed in Jaune's ear, suddenly a few feet back. "Away with you!"

"I just want to be your friend!"

"Be miserable and suffer!" she snapped. A look at her face showed it contorted with anger. It was so odd to see Blake lose control like this.

"How can I be miserable when I see your beautiful face?"

Blake blanched. "He's such a vile little faunus…" she spat.

"Uh… aren't you a faunus too?" Neptune asked, motioning up to the limp cat ears which sat angrily on her head.

"Oh, um, yeah! It's because she's a faunus that she can say things like that," Jaune attempted to explain. "You know. It's like, um, their word or something?"

Neptune shot a look at Sun, probably for some sort of confirmation. The blond boy didn't acknowledge it one way or another with his attention being too focused on Blake at the time being. "Oh. That makes sense I guess…"

Blake meanwhile continued to hide behind Jaune, using him as a human shield against the gaze of her admirer. One that had not lost an ounce of positivity despite the hybrid's best efforts.

Jaune moved out of the way, exposing the shrinking violet to Sun fully. Blake, hissing again, glared at Jaune. "You only continue to dig your own grave, Jaune."

"I'm sure you would have put me in it eventually," he countered. "Might as well be on my own terms."

The twisted smile that spread on the hybrid's face was frightening. The hungry, maniacal look in her golden feline eyes gave him chills. "Such fatalism… such pessimism… you really know how to turn a girl on, Jaune."

Blue eyes squeezed shut for a couple seconds. No, that hadn't been at all what he had attempted to do. Despite his best efforts all he could do was make Blake even more interested in him.

He didn't want to see what her reaction must have done to Sun. It probably broke the poor boy's heart. What he didn't realize was that it was all for the best.

A delicate finger came out to drag slowly up Jaune's arm. She leaned into him again to whisper into his ear. "I'll see you at the dance, Jaune. It'll be ever so much fun."

Wonderful. He was already struggling to think about how he would appease both Ruby and Weiss at the dance. Adding a third potential dance partner to the mix would only complicate things further.

Then she was gone, back off to wherever she was staying here at Beacon. Jaune sighed. Sun tilted his head.

"So the key to winning Blake's heart…" Sun pondered. "Is to act really goth!" The fellow team leader concluded, crossing his arms. "Of course, how could I have been so stupid?"

"That's easy," Neptune quipped.

Jaune laughed weakly. "Anyway..."

"I'm not gonna give up on her," Sun said, raising an arm and balling up a fist in determination. "I'll make her see that I can be just as deep and moody as she is! Positivity has its place, but clearly not with her."

That was the smartest thing Sun had said all day. Sadly his continued pursuit of Blake was also the dumbest move he would ever make in his life.

"So what about Yara?" Neptune again.

Jaune eyed him warily. "What about her?"

"She part of your weirdly-awesome harem? Or is she up for grabs?"

Sun looked at his friend oddly before Jaune could shake his head. "Yeah, you try grabbing her. See what you pull back." Chuckling at the mental image, he continued. "Yara's extremely attractive, but we're not a thing. She's not looking for that kind of relationship."

Sun nodded. "She seems like she needs to put her troubles to rest."

Jaune tilted his head. "What?"

"It's just, she reminds me of some people I knew back home. Vacuo. She reminds me of drifters and the ones who'd been betrayed. Like they always have to keep moving or else their own past will continue hurting them." Sun shifted uneasily on his feet. "If they didn't get some kind of closure, and most couldn't, it usually never ended well."

Jaune grimaced. That sounded uncomfortably close to Yang's problem. "I need to go."

Neptune cupped both hands around his mouth as Jaune rushed off. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Sun elbowed him, Jaune barely catching what he said as he left. "If he did that, he wouldn't have the girls he does!"

Jaune rushed down the hall of the building he knew Yang had gone to, already hearing a quiet noise that was growing as he approached. Soon he recognized it for what it was. Angered shouting, breaking, and cursing. Reaching the heavy doors, he pushed them open and had to immediately move back as the battered remains of a training robot went flying through them.

Yang, hair almost literally on fire, eyes burning red, glared at Jaune. If he wasn't mistaken, her skin was starting to ashen. She was standing astride shattered, destroyed mechanical drones, fists burning with yellow energy.

"I think you need to calm down, Yan- Yara." Jaune entered the room, eyeing other students who were cowering nearby.

Yang did not smile.

"No. I don't think I will."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** My apologies for the delay between chapters. Sometimes life just happens and all that kind of stuff! But it's here now, and I hope to be better with updating more often in the near future.

But I haven't been idle in the time between updates. I have a whole lot of stuff to shill, so check out my profile for a bunch of new content. And I want to give a special shout out to a new project I'm collaborating on. It's a **Silent Knight** story called **Stepping Stool**. I'm writing it with my friend **Ikedawg43** , and it's located on his profile. So go check that out if you're interested in some good Jaune x Neo stuff.

As always I want to thank **Burkion** for his help in writing this chapter. And of course, I want to thank all of you for your continued support. It means so much to me to know you care.


	28. Chapter 28

A Grimm hybrid with idle time on her hands was a dangerous thing.

Weiss shot a contemptuous snort through her nostrils. She wasn't used to having this sort of downtime.

Following her meeting with Professor Branwen and Specialist Schnee, Yang had abruptly taken off. Jaune had gone after her, telling Weiss and Ruby that he needed to speak to the blonde girl alone. Ruby too had ventured off on her own, but Weiss couldn't say what she was doing or where she was going. Maybe she was going to see that strange Penny girl and her robot-like partner Ciel. There was something off about the latter girl, but Weiss couldn't lay a finger on just what it was. No human being should have acted how Ciel did. Even Weiss and her fellow hybrids were better at posing as human beings as she was. Was the dark-skinned girl perhaps a sleeper agent sent by Salem that not even they knew about?

Then there was the issue of Blake. When wasn't there an issue with Blake? The elusive hybrid had managed to sneak away with the rest of the group to Vale, and Weiss had no idea if Cinder was even aware of the fact. She wasn't officially here, and her former professor hadn't mentioned her. Should she tattle and attempt to bring the faunus hybrid to heel? Or let chaos run its natural course with a rogue hybrid out in the wild?

A scowl split the beautiful girl's face as she made her way toward the library. Too many questions and not enough answers made Weiss frown, and as Professor Fall had once taught her, frowning led to wrinkles. Weiss didn't want wrinkles. Sadly the library would not glean the answers that she sought today, but it didn't mean that she couldn't learn _something_ new. Weiss always sought to better herself both for its own sake and for Salem's. She wondered what wonderful new human skills or knowledge she could pick up today when she wasn't busy with class, her teammates, or her mate.

With Professor Goodwitch hoarding all the pornography documentaries for herself, Weiss would have to find a new and interesting topic to study. What was it that humans did, specifically young women such as her? Popular media seemed to indicate that a girl her age should care about things like boys, fashion, and makeup, but Weiss was already far ahead of the curve on all of those matters. She was already stunningly attractive even without makeup, and didn't need that to enhance her beauty. Professor Fall had provided her with the latest in teen fashion, and even when she wasn't wrapped in what appeared to bandages, her black Haven Academy uniform revealed long, slender legs that turned the heads of every student she strutted past. Sadly for them she was taken.

She had a boy in Jaune whom she cared for more than she would ever admit aloud. He cared for her as well. She could still remember the time she had been injured during one of Professor Callows' combat classes, and she had gone back to her own room to curl up and let her wound heal itself. Jaune had forced his way in. Forced her to reveal her vulnerable side to him. He could have killed her. By all means he _should_ have killed her. That was the law of the school. The law of the world. And yet…

He'd tended to her wound. Cleansed it. Bandaged it. And after all that, he'd stayed with her the rest of the night and held her in his protective arms. Her heart still fluttered at the memory of that moment. One which hadn't been about strength or pride. It hadn't been about mating. It had been something far closer to a human emotion. One she'd never felt before that night.

Love.

She'd never felt loved before. Not truly, at least. Salem's motherly love was a strange sensation that felt more like obligation and duty than anything heartfelt. Weiss was loyal to her beyond question, and she knew that her mother would go to any lengths to provide for and protect her. To an extent. Should Weiss have fallen in Professor Callows' class, Salem would neither have wept nor felt regret for the loss. Weiss would have been another failed creation added to the list of many who'd fallen before her. May. Russel. Cardin. The names went on and on. Sons and daughters of Salem who'd been chosen by her to do great things. Sons and daughters of Salem who'd succumbed to the most primal laws of nature, and were never thought of again.

Weiss would not be another name on the list. She would not be a mindless brute. She would rise above the rest. She would be the finest of them all. Weiss would rule the world as she was born to do.

Browsing through shelves of books, Weiss sought something to catch her eye and earn her interest. A book on the Atlesian School of Fencing sounded intriguing, but she was already confident in her combat capabilities. A book titled 'Cold Heart, Hot Love' may have once piqued her interest, but she was already more skilled in the art of lovemaking than the author of such a novel could ever hope to be. More titles, more names, more subjects she didn't find interesting or important enough to even bother removing the book from the shelf to scan its table of contents.

Until…

"Dust and You," Weiss read aloud, a hand coming up to touch the book's spine. "A Beginner's Guide to the World of Dust."

Dust. She'd heard of this strange and magical substance before. Or at the very least, humans believed it to be some remnant of the magic which once existed in the world. If only they knew the truth of the wonder weapon they wielded against the creatures of Grimm. If what she had learned back in Salem's academy was true, and she had no reason to believe otherwise, the true nature of dust would shock and horrify those poor, ignorant humans.

Weiss selected the book from the shelf, pulling it out before making her way back to the central tables of the library. Taking a seat at an empty table, she opened the book up where what appeared to be a bookmark had been stuffed. Instead, what Weiss found was a pamphlet with a crude caricature of a distressed-looking human on its cover.

"Dust for dummies," she muttered. "And other inadequate individuals?" Icy blue eyes narrowed on the offending literature. "I am not inadequate!"

A loud hush from the table next to her earned the girl's attention, and Weiss turned to see someone in a Beacon uniform glaring at her. The fool. She should have challenged him right then and there for the slight against her honor. A skewering with her brand new human weapon would have taught him a thing or two about manners.

Setting the insulting pamphlet aside, Weiss flipped open to the book's introduction. "Fire, water, lightning, wind," she spoke low, being careful not to offend the fool at the table next to hers. "The powers of nature itself are at your fingertips through the immense and incalculable power of dust."

Weiss hummed to herself. The power of nature itself, eh? The author of this book had no idea what true power was. They didn't realize that nature itself could be bent to the will of a being as ancient and mighty as Salem.

Still, knowing all about dust and its capabilities would only do Weiss a favor. If she knew what she was going up against whenever she fought against a human huntsman, she would have the advantage. She would know all of their tricks and secrets, and they would know none of hers. At least, not until it was too late.

She sat there in silence for a few minutes, reading the introduction to all the different types of dust, until she felt a presence beside her. Weiss glanced up to see a human standing near the table.

No, not a human. A faunus. One she hadn't met yet. She still wondered if that Sun guy had hand-feet.

"Um, hi," the long-eared young woman said. "Sorry for bothering you. Are you busy?"

She in fact was busy, and normally Weiss might have snapped at the distraction for bothering her during her learning time. However, the limp rabbit ears that drooped sadly over the girl's long brown hair indicated that she was already defeated. Body language in the animal kingdom could speak louder than any voice could, and this faunus' ears told Weiss that she was no threat to the hybrid.

"May I help you?" Weiss answered.

The girl nervously shuffled, glancing over to one of the empty seats at the table. "May I?"

Defeated bunny girl at least had manners, needing permission to sit next to her superior. Weiss appreciated her knowing her place. "By all means," she said, gesturing a hand in invitation to sit next to her.

The student, this one too wearing a Beacon Academy uniform, hurriedly took the seat next to Weiss. She looked around briefly before her brown eyes focused more on Weiss'. "I just want to let you know… I think it was very brave what you did the other day."

Weiss' eyes narrowed in confusion. Of course she was brave, but what was this girl speaking about specifically. "What act of bravery are you speaking of?"

The Beacon student glanced around again before settling on Weiss once more. Her voice was low as they spoke. "What happened between you and Miss Goodwitch," she clarified. "It's not every day that someone would stand up to her the way you did. No one from Beacon, at least."

So that was it. The faunus girl must have been a part of Professor Goodwitch's class. She'd seen Weiss' attempt to face the supposedly great Pyrrha Nikos. The same Pyrrha who's managed to defeat Jaune only by a stupid human rule of boundaries. Didn't these people realize that there were no such rules in a real fight? Did they think that the Grimm would respect arbitrary rules of bounds? Weiss wondered how many of them could survive in a real combat environment like Professor Callows' class.

Still, Weiss appreciated the praise. She was certain that she would have been able to defeat Pyrrha if not for that stupid rule about her Aura not being up. "Thank you, bunny girl. It's a shame Miss Goodwitch refused to cooperate."

Bunny girl nodded. "I'm Velvet, by the way."

"Wren Slate," Weiss replied nonchalantly, the name rolling off her tongue naturally.

"So… yeah, Miss Goodwitch can be a real stickler for the rules sometimes," Velvet spoke low, as if saying her name too loudly could bring down the wrath of the unusually tall woman. "But I might have something that can help with what you're looking for."

What she was looking for? Was Velvet speaking about Aura? Could she possibly know that Weiss didn't have her Aura unlocked?

"Really?" Weiss asked hopefully.

When she had come to this school she wouldn't have thought it was a problem. She was strong enough on her own without Aura, her enhanced Grimm hybrid strength and endurance more than capable of allowing her to hold her own against an average huntsman. However, she still _wanted_ Aura. Jaune had it. Blake had it. Ruby and Yang had it, and they had gotten theirs unlocked by Jaune himself. Loathe as she was to admit it, Weiss was jealous. She wanted what they had. She wanted her special bond with Jaune to be even more special.

Was Velvet really suggesting that she could help Weiss unlock her Aura?

"But… maybe not here," she continued, her cheeks darkening. True, unlocking one's Aura was a supposedly personal experience. Weiss still recalled the way Yang had so violently reacted to it. She wondered why the same hadn't been true for Ruby.

"I agree. It is a rather intimate subject."

Velvet nodded hurriedly. "One of our dorm rooms would be a more appropriate place to do this. Definitely not the library."

Weiss closed her book on dust, eager to learn more about Aura from the faunus. "Allow me to return this book to its proper home and then we can return to my dorm. My teammates are currently out, and we should have the room to ourselves."

"That's for the best. Definitely," Velvet agreed. "But I have heard you and your teammates are pretty relaxed on stuff like this."

Weiss pondered the words. Jaune being there would definitely be a plus, with him being the most human of all her hybrid companions. "Should we wait for Jaune? The three of us doing it together might lead to the best results."

A tiny squeak sounded from Velvet's throat, and another look at her showed the bunny girl blushing. "No, no… I mean… he already has so much on his plate right now with you and the other girl. The redhead."

True, but Ruby wasn't with him right now. "Actually Jaune is busy with Yara right now," she recalled, replacing the book on its shelf. "But it wouldn't be a problem to bring him here in order to help us out."

"Oh, wow, he's really busy," Velvet gasped, a sense of awe in her tone. "How does he make time for all three of you?"

There was more than just awe in Velvet's voice. There was respect as well. As there should be. Jaune was the mightiest of all the hybrids, handpicked by Salem herself to be the leader of their infiltration team in Vale. He had more than enough time to keep all three of them, plus Blake, in line. He knew how to make them all submit to his will at a moment's notice.

"He's an Alpha," she said truthfully. "He knows how to lead a pack."

"Alpha male, yeah, for sure," Velvet agreed all too readily. Perhaps she knew something about Grimm pack mentality? "It's just so unusual in this day and age to see something like that so out in the open. It's… not that easy for me."

Weiss regarded the girl, who seemed to have shrunk in on herself in shame again. Her sad bunny ears flattened atop her head indicating shame or cowardice. "Why do you say that?"

Velvet couldn't meet Weiss' gaze as they walked through the library doors back outside. "It's just because… I'm a faunus. A rabbit one at that. There'd be all sorts of negative stereotypes attached to that kind of behavior."

Did Velvet think that people would choose to associate her more closely with the Grimm because she had animal traits? Weiss knew that humans were racist, but the idea of stereotyping a faunus as being more bestial than human because they displayed a pack mentality hierarchy was news to her.

"Well I think that's wrong, Velvet," Weiss stated firmly, leveling a finger at the faunus girl. "Just because you're a faunus doesn't mean that you can't be an Alpha too."

"You really think so?" she asked hopefully. "You think that one day I too could have my own… pack?"

Weiss didn't know why, but she felt a strange sense of camaraderie with the bunny girl. She hadn't met a human or a faunus in Vale who seemed so open-minded to the pack mentality that came naturally to Grimm hybrids. Ruby had met that strange Penny girl, and Yang was enjoying both physical and verbal sparring with that Sun boy. Maybe Velvet… maybe she could be Weiss' first human friend.

If nothing else, it would do wonders for earning valuable experience in dealing with inhabitants of the human kingdoms. And that's what they were supposed to be doing here, right?

"I think you can, bunny girl," Weiss said reassuringly. "If you want a pack, go out there and make one. If you're strong enough to help me out with my problem then I'm sure you're strong enough to attract others to your side."

"That's… wow. I don't know if even Coco would have that much belief in me. Definitely not Yats or Fox."

Weiss didn't know what a Yats was, but did Velvet have a pet fox? She wondered if it would get along with Ruby's dog.

"Perhaps when we get to my room I'll give Jaune a call. He can teach you all about what it means to be an Alpha."

She saw how Velvet swallowed hard. "M-maybe. Maybe if we're in the mood after I show you the secrets that Miss Goodwitch wouldn't."

That sounded like a grand idea. Weiss may have just met this Velvet girl, but she could sense that it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

* * *

"No. I don't think I will."

Yang's hair was glowing, its incandescent brilliance almost blinding to look at. Jaune could almost feel the heat radiating from her even as he stood in the doorway. Was this her Semblance? People normally just didn't burst into flames, much less be unharmed by said fire. He had no idea what her Semblance might entail, but all he could think was that if this was it, it suited her passion.

Then there were her eyes. Like two hot, burning coals, a pair of glowing red orbs stared into him and sent shivers down his spine. Shades of her Grimm hybrid form passed in his mind, and he could almost imagine a pair of horns sprouting from her forehead and her tanned skin paling. In his mind's eye he could see her right arm twisting and bulking up as it warped into a black and muscular mess. He couldn't let any of this come to pass. He couldn't let the onlookers stay any longer.

"All of you," he shouted to the group of cowering students in the training hall. "Get out. Now."

Some were slow to react. Others all but ran for their lives upon hearing the order. Even as they all passed by him, Jaune didn't take his eyes off of Yang. Nor did Yang's own intense gaze leave him.

In seconds the pair of blondes stood alone among the wreckage of Beacon's training droids.

"Powerful as ever," Yang commented, taking a few steps toward him. "It's good to see living with these humans hasn't taken any of that from you. They know their place when you enter the room."

Jaune would let Yang thing that if she wanted. Every other hybrid seemed to believe he was far more powerful and capable than he actually was. How did she not realize that they were terrified of her fiery hair and wanton destruction rather than himself?

"Yang," Jaune offered softly as he strode forward to meet her in the middle of the room. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

The girl snorted a harsh laugh. "What's wrong," she echoed. "You really need to ask that question?"

Obviously, otherwise he wouldn't have answered it. However, Jaune knew Yang wasn't feeling like her normal self, so he wouldn't respond with sarcasm. "You can tell me," he offered, coming to stand in front of her. Even with a taller girl such as Yang, he had to look down upon her as he spoke. "We're alone now."

Yang shook her head. "We're never alone here, Jaune," she muttered bitterly. The fire both in her voice and atop her head went out when she spoke next, and when her eyes met his again they were back to their calming lilac color. "Not since we've come to Vale. Humans everywhere. Including…"

The last word hung in the air, leaving Jaune on the edge of his seat. Yang may have calmed down, but it was clear that she was far from untroubled. "Yang?"

"First my uncle. Now Winter Schnee. Tell me that's just a coincidence, Jaune."

Jaune swallowed. "What does Winter have to do w-"

"You tell me that woman doesn't look exactly like Weiss!" she snapped, interrupting Jaune from his attempted excuse. "I guess we know what her last name is now. Schnee. Weiss Schnee. It has a nice ring to it, right?"

 _Weiss Schnee._ Jaune had to admit, it sounded far better than Wren Slate. When Jaune realized that Winter must have been related to Weiss he hadn't really considered the implications that came with knowing her full true name. Weiss Schnee. Jaune had once wondered who the girl beneath the white skin and red eyes was. Who would she have been? Who would she have grown up to be had it not been for Salem? With this new information, with Winter, he could finally get a glimpse of who Weiss was meant to be. He could scour the CCT Network for any information on a missing girl named Weiss Schnee.

Yang's revelation caused another thought to enter Jaune's mind. "Wait, does that mean your last name's Branwen?"

"Yang Branwen," the girl snarled. "Like I'd ever take that bitch's name."

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter," she said bitterly. "None of this matters. Can't you see, Jaune? The walls are closing in around us. They're onto us. It's only a matter of time until they strike. Until they either capture or kill us. And trust me, I don't intend to be taken alive by these humans. To be experimented on again…"

Yang nearly choked up with the last word, and she glanced away from Jaune rather than meet his gaze. Truth be told, Jaune had no idea what she'd gone through in being transformed from a normal human girl into the monstrosity that lay beneath her human skin. He had no idea how she came to have her massive Grimm arm. However, if it was enough to give even Yang pause, the strongest of the hybrids he'd ever met, he could only imagine what kind of horrible things were inflicted upon her in her youth.

He could understand why she might believe that humanity would want to do similar things in an effort to figure out who she was and how she functioned.

"Yang…" he said softly, his hand coming down to gently touch her shoulder.

Only for it to be slapped away in an instant. "Don't touch me."

Jaune pulled his hand back instantly, lest his whole arm be ripped from its socket in the blonde girl's rage.

"You have to calm down," he chose to say instead. "We don't _know_ anything."

"How can you be so stupid!" she screamed. "Gods, you were always so strong back home, but so fucking stupid! Can't you see that it's over? We've failed, Jaune! We failed the moment we touched down at Beacon! This was a mistake! It was all a mistake, and we're going to die because of it!"

Yang was trembling. She was angry, and that was nothing out of the ordinary. But Jaune realized her trembling came not from anger, but from fear. Yang was afraid. Maybe rightfully so. However, he couldn't let her stay this way. He was their leader. He was the so-called Alpha of their pack. It was up to him to take charge and ensure that their team remained safe here in Vale.

"Yang…"

He also knew that Yang was a different sort of beast. She wouldn't respond to calming words and actions. No, Yang was a girl _of_ action.

"When they come for me I'm going to kill as many of them as I can," she whispered. There was almost a sense of excitement or anticipation in her tone. "It's been so long since I've been able to tear living, breathing creatures apart. These robots don't do anything for me. When they come I'll slaughter them. They'll see what I am, and they'll have to kill me."

He was an Alpha. He was _her_ Alpha.

He needed to put her in her place.

Jaune didn't even think when he reared back and slammed his fist into Yang's face.

The harsh smack of flesh on flesh echoed in the near-empty room, and Yang stumbled back a few steps as her right hand came up to cover her nose. Shocked eyes stared down widely at her hand before shifting up to regard Jaune.

"Jaune! What the fuck!"

"You need to calm down," he said evenly, pointing a finger at the girl.

Jaune's heart was racing. He was picking a fight with one of the strongest and most violent people he'd ever met in his life. Perhaps only Tyrian himself was the person who Jaune would have dreaded to fight more than Yang. Even Salem, for all her power and immortality, didn't scare him as much as Tyrian and Yang. He knew Salem could vaporize him in an instant. She would do so without so much as a smile or effort. It would be over in an instant.

Not with Tyrian. Not with Yang. They would take their time. They would relish every moment. And here he'd just picked a fight with the unstable hybrid who only days ago had tortured a Boarbatusk for fun.

"You wanna go?" she growled, barring her teeth like an animal would. Even in her human form, her hybrid instincts were coming out.

Jaune's fists clenched, his stance widening and dropping lower into a fighting pose. "I promised you a fight when we got to Beacon, didn't I?"

Ever since the two had met, Yang had wanted to fight him. The first time he'd met the hybrid girl all those months ago, she'd taken a swing at him. Only slipping on the spilled blood of their lunch had saved him from being pulverized by her oversized fist. Since then Yang had tried and challenged him to fights, only to be turned down or interrupted at every turn.

Here and now, however, he was all hers. If he had to beat some sense into her in order to calm the girl and bring her to heel, he'd do so. He wasn't the same Jaune he used to be. He wasn't the helpless loser who'd first arrived at Salem's Grimm Academy. He was strong now. Forged in the fires of hardship and pain. A survivor of the worst place on Remnant.

Yang's eyes flashed blood-red again, holding their color as she stared at him. Her own fists closed tightly as well. "Here to assert dominance, Jaune? Our little Weiss'll be jealous if she sees you trying to put me in my place."

This wasn't about Weiss. It wasn't about Ruby, or Blake, or anyone else but Yang. He didn't care what they might think about him. All that mattered was getting through to the blonde girl across from him. All that mattered was making her realize that he was here for her. She was in his care here at Beacon. He would protect her. He would save her.

Just like he would all of them.

Jaune held his hand open, and beckoned her to come to him with his fingers. "Bring it."

Yang didn't need to be told twice, and with a grunt of effort leapt at him with right arm reared back. Jaune crossed his arms in front of his face and took the punch. Even without the enhanced strength of her Grimm arm, and even with his Aura up, it packed a wallop.

Jaune skidded back several feet, sore but ultimately unharmed by the massive blow Yang had just struck on him. Lowering his crossed arms below his face, he stared out wide-eyed at the girl who stood there with a smirk on her face.

"Not bad," she said excitedly. "Most people's bones would shatter tanking a punch like that. You really are strong, aren't you?"

Jaune's arms shifted to more of a classical martial arts position up and in front of his torso and chin. "Was that your best move?" he asked. He didn't know if he was trying to taunt her, or if he was asking out of genuine concern for his own well-being. Maybe a little bit of both.

Yang flashed her teeth, grinning widely, hungrily, at the boy in front of her. "I can do this all day."

That's exactly what Jaune feared.

She came at him again, her feet and her assault grounded on the floor this time as she swung. Jaune bobbed out of the way of her right fist, and weaved away from her left hook not even a second later. His arms remained up and guarded as his feet peddled backward, avoiding each and every swing the blonde took at him. Her grunts of effort echoed in his ears with each attack, and he realized that he wouldn't be able to evade forever. He didn't want to either. He'd finally decided to give her the fight she'd always wanted. That meant he would have to fight back.

"You gonna dodge all day?" Yang taunted. More fists flew, but all of his experience back in Salem's school had taught him how to evade. "I thought you wanted a fight!"

The boy sensed he was nearing the end of his rope. The wall of the training room stood only inches behind him.

When Yang's next punch came, he ducked, and her fist slammed behind him sending shards and splinters of concrete flying in all directions.

Jaune pivoted on one of the soles of his boots, ducking underneath Yang's fist even as she dug it out of the hole she'd made in the wall. Coming up to stand behind her, Jaune brought up his own right arm and brought it down on top of her head like he was swinging a hammer. It was the first time he could recall swinging a closed fist on someone in anger. He didn't know what it would feel like when it connected.

As it turned out, painless. Maybe not for Yang, but he hadn't felt a thing.

The bottom of Jaune's fist crashed down atop Yang's head, his hand glowing with the white light of his Semblance. Enhancing his strength and endurance.

Yang cried out, and her body crumpled to the floor like a sack of potatoes. For a moment Jaune wondered if he'd gone too far, if using his Semblance to enhance the Aura around his fist had been too much for the girl. She was down to a knee, and Jaune stared down guiltily at her heaving shoulders.

"Yang?" he asked worriedly. "Are you o-"

Her head snapped around, wide red eyes and an even wider grin staring up maniacally at him. "Oh fuck yeah, that's what I'm talking about!"

Jaune couldn't prepare for what came next, and her fist moved like lightning and struck like thunder. Yang's uppercut slammed underneath his chin, knocking Jaune's whole head backward, and to his surprise, somehow didn't snap his neck in the process. The force of the blow managed to knock him up into the air, where he unceremoniously crashed down onto his back a second later.

His bell was rung, and his vision swam as he struggled to push himself upright while sitting on his butt. Two Yangs sauntered slowly toward him, the blurred images slowly condensing into one as his brain managed to focus on the girl in front of him.

"I don't know what it is, but somehow I managed to hit harder after you hit me," the girl seemed to brag. A finger and thumb came up to scratch her nose. "Would it sound weird if I asked you to hit me harder?"

Jaune pressed his hands onto the floor and forced himself back to his feet. Blue eyes blinked as he regained a semblance of control over his senses once more. "As long as you don't call me daddy," he quipped.

Yang burst into laughter. "Don't worry, I'm not a freak like Weiss is. She'd be getting the wrong kind of pleasure fighting you like this. But me?" she said, raising her fists again. "I just wanna fucking hurt someone."

He would gladly be her punching bag if it meant saving some innocent person's life. Not just a punching bag, however. He was determined to win this fight. Not only to calm Yang down. Not only to try to get through to her. But to prove to himself how far he'd come.

She came at him again with no warning, obviously expecting Jaune to be up to the challenge of facing off against her in combat. He was, and as Yang took another swing at him, her hair bathed in fire as she did, Jaune amped up his own fist as well. Glowing with pure white light, an immovable object collided with an unstoppable force. The crack of Aura-protected skin and bones cut through the air, only the sound of Yang's own cry of pain able to be heard above it.

This time it was Yang who stumbled back from the blow, and she shook her right hand in pain. She stared up at him with gritted teeth, as if insulted that he had dared to deny her blow with his own fist.

Jaune looked down at his own glowing hand, unharmed and pain-free. An idea came to him.

"I'll break you in half!" Yang snarled, stalking toward him once more. Without being able to transform into her Grimm form she was a far more tamed fighter, but her human guise had done nothing to dampen her spirit.

Jaune's fists remained upright, but he didn't intend to use them. No, he instead wanted to test the limits of his Semblance. Maybe this wasn't the best time or place, and maybe Yang wasn't the correct opponent. But if he could withstand a blow from her, he was confident that he'd be able to take a hit from anyone.

Even as Yang's fist pumped back once more to strike, Jaune concentrated. His face was a shield. His flesh was a wall. He would not falter. He would stand his ground.

The blow struck. His neck twisted as Yang's fist slammed home, but he felt nothing. The same couldn't be said for her, and as he turned back to look at her, saw how the girl clenched her fingers over and over again trying to undo the pain she'd just wrought on herself.

Jaune took the opportunity and went on the offensive.

Right. Left. Right. Left. There was little skill on display here. Jaune was not a boxer. He was not an unarmed fighter. His technique was probably sloppy and used far too much energy. He probably left himself open. But right now that didn't matter. He could turn his body into an unbreakable shield with his vast amount of Aura and his amplification Semblance. Right now he just needed to hurt Yang.

He needed to calm her down. If that meant beating the fight out of her, then he'd do it.

Blow after blow connected with the blonde girl, her grunts of pain hurting Jaune almost as much as they must have hurt her. Okay, probably not, but it still hurt Jaune to inflict pain on his friend. On a girl who was a victim in all this. On a girl who was terrified of what she thought would happen to her here in Vale.

Jaune breathed heavily as his assault relented, certain that the many solid blows he'd struck on the girl would bring her Aura down low enough to cause her to end this.

He was sadly mistaken.

Yang's hair was a raging inferno now, and red trickled down from her nose onto her lips. Her tongue darted out to lap up the precious fluid, making her piercing crimson eyes burn all the brighter.

"Oh my gods, I've never felt more alive than I do right now," she whispered excitedly. "I feel like I can shatter the rest of that motherfucking moon right now."

Jaune knew how much Yang loved to fight, but the fact that she was so eager and wound up after the beating she'd just taken surprised even him. She was breathing heavily, snorting uncontrolled breaths through her bleeding nose as she regarded him with an almost psychotic grin.

"Yang, end this," he told her worriedly. He didn't want her to snap. He didn't want her to lose control and let the Grimm part of her come out.

"End?" she asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion. "No, Jaune. You've filled me up with so much rage that I can't stand it. I need a release. I need to kill someone. Even if that someone is you!"

Yang's fists were on fire as she ran at him. Even if he didn't know the specifics of her Semblance, Jaune knew that if he didn't give this attack his all that she very well could kill him. He'd never seen someone be literally on fire like she was, but even he knew that if she struck him head on without the protection of his Semblance, he was a dead man.

Amplifying himself with as much Aura as he could muster, Jaune ran forward to meet his attacker. Fire met light once more. Fist met fist. Yang met Jaune.

The latter screamed in pain as he felt his fingers shatter.

Yang screamed too, triumphant in victory as Jaune stumbled back. She pressed on, but the fire had gone out. And Jaune still had one good hand.

His left arm wrapped around her body, and in a twisting motion threw both Yang and himself down to the floor. The two rolled there struggling for dominance before finally Jaune emerged on top. Using his superior weight to pin Yang under him, he pressed his right forearm down onto her windpipe.

And slammed his left fist down on her nose.

Blood splattered up and Yang grunted in pain once more. She thrashed and squirmed underneath him, but his superior size held her down. He gave another swift punch to the face.

She snarled. "Get off me!"

"It's over!" he shouted back. "Stop fighting!"

Her blonde hair had lost its glow. Red eyes retreated back inside her, and lilac took command once more. Whatever had happened, Yang had used all that power she'd managed to acquire on him. On a normal person it would have worked. It would have been fatal. Only Jaune's amplified Aura had been able to stop such strength.

It'd cost him a broken right hand. It would heal in him thanks to his Aura, but it was a testament to the strength Yang possessed. To the power of her own Semblance. Where his offered absolute protection, hers offered absolute destruction.

How fitting for the hybrid.

Underneath him Jaune felt Yang's panting breaths, but the fight in her began to subside. He stared down at her, a bloody nose and bloody teeth leering back up at him. Maybe she was content now. She'd gotten the fight she always wanted from him. She'd given him the best she was able to in her human form, and he'd done the same. She'd seen his strength. She knew why he was their leader. Why everyone had considered him the strongest student at their school.

Only now did he remember why he'd wanted to fight her in the first place. To calm her. To reassure her. The only way he knew how. Words were lost on the aggressive hybrid, but actions weren't. If he showed his strength, if he proved his dominance over her, then maybe she would believe him. Maybe she would trust him. He would protect her. He would save her.

"I won't let anyone hurt you," he whispered to her reassuringly. "Not your uncle. Not Winter. No one. Do you understand?"

He couldn't read her expression. Lilac eyes stared up into his, and she didn't say a word.

"Trust me, Yang. You have to trust me. I'm here for you. For Ruby. For everyone. I'm going to protect you all. Okay?"

With her hands splayed out at her sides, Jaune believed that the last of the fight was out of her. He released his forearm from its place on her throat, allowing her some literal breathing room.

Yang's head reached up and her teeth clamped around his neck in an instant, biting down hard.

"Ahh!" Jaune screamed in equal parts surprise and pain.

She didn't let him. Her teeth remained clenched down on his flesh. Sucking. Chewing. Like an animal.

"Ah, Yang!" he gasped, struggling in vain to escape her vice-like grip. "L-let go!"

As it turned out, Jaune's words were powerless to stop the girl from attacking him like a rabid animal. Only the sound of someone's throat clearing had managed to do the trick.

Yang released her hold on him, and Jaune twisted around to see who was standing behind him.

Winter Schnee. Her arms were folded across her chest. She did not look happy.

* * *

 _Just how many girls does this boy have wrapped around his finger?_

That was the first angry thought Winter had as she strode down the hall beside the young man known as Jaune Arc.

It wasn't unusual that he was in a relationship. Huntsmen and huntresses who worked closely together often formed relationships with each other. It was easy. Convenient. They both understood the lifestyle. They understood the risks entailed with their duties. With no time to date like a normal civilian, it made sense for those in the profession to 'hook up', as the saying went. Those relationships often bore children, who would grow up and aspire to become huntsmen themselves.

If their position on the training room floor was anything to go by, it seemed as though Jaune and Yara were already halfway there.

Winter had heard tales of these things before. Huntsmen and huntresses who were lovers often sparred together. In the heat of the moment they would sometimes let their passions get the better of them. One moment they could be fighting, spilling each other's blood and inflicting pain on one another. The next they would lose themselves in the moment and begin furiously kissing each other, their adrenaline from fighting quickly shifting over to lust. They'd strip from their clothes before making passionate love in the arena they had been training in only moments earlier.

She was lucky to have come upon them when she did. With the way Yara had her mouth clamped over Jaune's neck, sucking and undoubtedly leaving a love mark on his flesh, Jaune and her had been only seconds away from having sex.

 _Why_ was he about to have sex with Yara if he was already courting both her sister and Rosalyn? Just what kind of a sexual deviant was he?

Winter seethed silently. This was all his fault. Somehow, she knew it was all his fault. He'd turned her precious baby sister into a pervert. It could not, and would not stand.

"Tell me, Mister Arc," she said evenly, her hands clasped behind her back as they walked. "What is the nature of the relationship between you and Miss Xanthic?"

A false name, she knew. But it was the one Jaune would respond to. Similarly she would refer to Yang's sister as Rosalyn rather than Ruby. What hurt most of all would be to pretend that she didn't know her own sister. Wren Slate was a stranger to the Specialist.

"We're just friends," he admitted. He was very good at lying. It almost sounded believable.

"Friends," she echoed. "Is that why she was kissing your neck while you lay between her legs on the floor?"

Jaune's head snapped up, and wide blue eyes stared over to her. "No, no, you've got it all wrong," he insisted. "She was biting me, not kissing. Gods, no, that's not how we are. She'd break me in half if she ever tried to-"

He stopped himself short of whatever he was about to say. Ever tried to what?

"Yes?" she asked expectantly.

"Um, never mind. It's not appropriate to talk about that sort of thing in public."

 _It's not appropriate to fornicate in a public training room either._

Still, Yara wasn't Winter's main concern here. She wanted to know more about Weiss. More about the relationship she had with this boy.

"And your other teammates?" she pressed. "Wren and Rosalyn?"

Jaune turned away, and Winter saw how his body language indicated discomfort. Embarrassment. "We're…"

 _Cheating on my_ sister _with that redhead,_ Winter wanted to snap.

"It's complicated," he finished. "Really complicated."

"I'm an intelligent woman. Please, try explaining it to me."

The boy who walked beside her exhaled. He was tired. Understandable after he and Yara had just sparred and nearly made love together.

"I love them," he said earnestly. His eyes met hers once more, and the fact that he could say the words while looking at her added credence to them. "I love them both. With all my heart. I'd die for them before I'd let anyone hurt them."

 _Schnee's do not share,_ was what she again wanted to say to him. However, there was something in his tone that was believable. He may have been a good liar, but even Winter could hear the passion behind his words.

It was almost enough to soothe her temper. Unfortunately, a few pretty words wouldn't undo the disgrace and dishonor he'd brought upon Weiss.

"If you had to choose one of them, who would it be? Polyamorous relationships aren't exactly looked upon favorably in the world. Nor are such marriages possible. Who would you marry if you had to choose between them, Jaune?"

He looked away once more. He shook his head. "Impossible."

"Impossible? Why is that?"

"It's… complicated."

Not the answer Winter wanted to hear. She didn't want copouts. She didn't want excuses. What she wanted were true and honest answers about him, Weiss, and the relationship they shared. She wanted Weiss to grow up happy, find a loving partner to marry, and live a wonderful and fulfilling life away from the household that she'd been taken from as a child.

If Jaune Arc could not provide those things for her, then he was not worthy of her sister's time and affection.

"So, um, where are we going?" the boy asked, looking around the halls of the dormitory building they strode through.

"To your room, of course," Winter answered matter-of-factly. "After your… spar with Miss Xanthic, you're probably in need of a shower."

Jaune nodded, but his voice told her he remained unconvinced. "And why are you coming?"

 _Because I don't trust you with my sister._ "Is it wrong for a new teaching assistant to want to get to know her students better?"

The boy beside her frowned, and this time shook his head. "I guess not."

"Good. Then you won't mind me coming in to speak with Miss Slate and Miss Rouge for a bit."

 _And perhaps find out more of what exactly your relationship with them entails._

Knowing their destination now, Jaune took more of a lead in their journey through the exchange student dorm. When they came upon the room she knew to be his, he fished out his scroll and swiped it to unlock the door.

He pushed it open, and Winter heard a pair of female voices from within.

Sitting on one of the beds, her sweet sister was beside an unknown faunus student. Tall rabbit ears pointed up from a head of long brown hair. A scroll was held between them.

Noises… were coming from the scroll.

"Oh, Jaune!" Weiss said excitedly, springing up from the bed. "And you've brought Specialist Schnee with you." Her hands clapped together happily. "Wonderful!"

The faunus girl's brown eyes widened, and her tall ears drooped down atop her head. Was it fear? Embarrassment?

"Velvet was showing me something called PornPlace-dot-com," she said, holding the scroll up for both the boy and Winter to see. "Where I'd once thought that pornography documentaries were only available in physical video form, it turns out that there are thousands, no, tens of thousands of such videos on the CCT Network!"

Sure enough, Weiss… her sweet, precious little sister, held up her scroll to show a man and a woman having graphic, uncensored sex. Pale blue eyes widened. This was… this was…

"Wren!" Jaune shouted, snatching the scroll from her fingers and mercifully shutting the movie off. "You can't…"

"I know, I know, I should have waited for you," she said almost guiltily. "But it was simply such an amazing discovery that I couldn't help myself." Weiss looked back over to Velvet, who was beginning to shrink in on herself in what had to be embarrassment. "Velvet has been so helpful, and she offered to help show me how to navigate the website. There's so many categories that you'd never run out of new videos to watch. Humans have so much sex, Jaune!"

Winter couldn't take it. Here she'd come to find out more about her sister and her relationship with this boy, but seeing this, hearing this… she wanted to know less. Far, far less.

She took a step backwards. Weiss' face radiated pure joy. She was… she was a sex-addicted pervert. Her poor sister. Her poor, poor sister…

Jaune would die for this.

But for now a tactical retreat was necessary. She couldn't handle this right now. She needed time to process it. Time to think. Time to destroy a few training droids herself.

"Excuse me," Winter said hurriedly, exiting the room as quickly as she could.

Strolling back down the hallway as quickly as her long legs could carry her, she realized that she needed some alone time with Weiss. Time away from Jaune, Ruby, Yang, and their corrupting influence.

Qrow could go screw himself. If anyone was going to save Weiss from them and herself, it was going to be her.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** What's this? Two story updates in one day? We're starting this new year off not only with a bang, but with a Yang as well!

My apologies for taking so long to update this fic. As I mentioned at the beginning of my brand new **Jaune x Summer Rose** story, I had a very rough November and December, both emotionally and physically. I didn't feel like writing. What I did feel like writing just wasn't this. But hopefully things will be better in this new year.

So yeah, if you are interested in some Jaune X MILF action, go check out the new story on my profile, **A Fall Summer Knight's Dream**.

But back to this, I had a lot of fun writing all these scenes. Writing Winter's point of view will offer a new and fun experience. Weiss making a new friend in Velvet is bound to lead to more comedy. With the addition of her, now Weiss, Ruby, and Yang have all made a new human/faunus/robot friend who isn't Jaune. The question is, should Blake make a friend as well? And if she does, should it be Neo?

And before anyone asks, and I know someone will misinterpret this, no, Weiss and Velvet weren't doing anything dirty with each other. Just watching porn. You can thank my friend **Ikedawg43** for the idea of Weiss discovering internet porn. It was so great I just had to include it.

Anyway, I've rambled on for long enough. But after almost two months without an update I had a lot to say.

I hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter. Thanks for reading.


	29. Chapter 29

Tall double doors opened before her, granting access to the huge room beyond.

Silver eyes widened.

With her right arm linked around Jaune's left, and Yang standing on her other side, Ruby stepped into hall where Beacon's annual dance was being held. Her mouth dropped, and her head was on a swivel as she took in the sights around her.

Winding staircases in the corners of the room led up to a second story balcony, from which all manner of decorations were hung. Clusters of colored balloons were tied to whatever sort of post was available. Streamers drooped down from the ceiling. Even fancy and expensive looking chandeliers glittered above, providing the bulk of the illumination in the great hall.

It was beautiful. It was perfect. It was so different from the mock dance that had been held at Salem's academy in order to prepare them for a night like this.

It was a night to be remembered.

"Wow, it's so pretty," she gasped as the quartet of teens strode into the room.

Weiss, who hung from Jaune's right arm, was quick to agree. "It is. I suppose hiding behind their walls has given humanity a lot of time to perfect aesthetic designing."

Ruby frowned. Right now she didn't want to think about the difference between humanity and hybrids. She didn't want to think about their mission. She just wanted to have fun.

Jaune apparently shared that sentiment. "Let's not talk about stuff like that here, okay?" he said softly into the white-haired girl's ear.

A quiet hum sounded from her lips. "Very well."

"I wonder if anyone's gonna spike the punch," Yang mused.

Spike it? Like drive a spike through the bowl? That would cause quite a mess. Ruby supposed that if a Geist were to possess the punchbowl that might be a practical way to destroy the creature, but as far as she could tell there would be next to zero risk of a Grimm finding its way into a school inhabited entirely by huntsmen.

Unless of course you were a hybrid sent on a secret infiltration mission.

The thought made her cling to Jaune's arm even tighter. So many humans. So many emotions. Ruby still wasn't used to huge crowds like this. Being in a classroom with them was helping to build her tolerance, but there was such a wider array of emotions on display here outside of class. A lot more people than usual too. She'd have to be careful, and stay close to Jaune just in case things got out of control.

A podium stood in the middle of their path into the greater portion of the makeshift dance hall, and a pair of familiar faces stood behind it. One wore a rather simplistic sleeveless olive green dress, the other a black tuxedo with an orange bow tie.

"Hey, what's up Emerald," Yang greeted them as they approached. The blonde's head turned to the other. "Mercury."

A brief but potent wave of negativity surged from the two teenagers. Ruby recognized it for what it was. Fear. Professor Fall's cohorts knew what they were, but still weren't used to the idea of Grimm hybrids. She wondered what the rest of humanity might think should they ever learn the truth. Was Jaune a special case in his acceptance of them? Or would others find a place in their hearts for girls like them?

"Yang," Emerald nodded evenly, quiet enough so no one would hear her true name. "Are you… four here together?"

Yang snorted. "Nah. Only these three," she motioned with thumb. "Keep an eye on them. Make sure Weiss doesn't start twerking on Jaune."

The human's eyes fell on Weiss, who began to look back and forth between them and Jaune. "What's twerking?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it," Jaune replied hurriedly. He turned his attention to Yang, leveling a finger at her. "And _you_ don't go giving her any ideas."

Ruby watched how Yang held Jaune's gaze for a few seconds, her lilac eyes unblinking. Finally, she simply stuck out her tongue at the boy before moving forward alone.

Interesting. Yang hadn't risen to the challenge. She hadn't tried to fight back. It was almost like she accepted Jaune's decision.

"Welp, I'm all checked in I guess," the blonde hybrid said as she moved past the podium. "Time to see what kind of food and booze these humans have for us. See ya."

Her sister moved on without them, leaving the remaining trio from Team AWRY standing before the podium.

"So… um… do we need to do anything here?" Jaune asked them.

Emerald shook her head. "No. Just go in, dance, and enjoy yourselves."

Ruby glanced around, trying to find the other two people from Team CMEN. She couldn't find them. "Where's Professor Fall?" she asked.

" _Cinder,_ " Emerald said deliberately. "Is busy right now. She won't be joining us until later."

Ruby nodded quickly. Right. Cinder. She wasn't Professor Fall here. She was a totally normal human student just like the rest of them. Despite her age.

"Well… I guess we should start having fun then," Jaune said, pulling the two girls on his arm with him as he stepped past the podium. "Keep up the, uh, good work."

Mercury growled something as they passed. Ruby wondered if they'd rather be inside having fun too instead of being stuck on podium duty.

White-clothed tables lined the edges of the room, leaving a large space in the middle where students were mingling and dancing. It was a truly remarkable display of human interaction. More than just that, however. A wide array of human emotions were plain to see as well. Well, maybe not see. They were clear for her to _feel_. Some good. Some bad.

"So, what do you girls wanna do first?" Jaune asked. "Get some food or a drink? Or get straight to dancing?"

Nourishment or time with her mate? Ruby had her answer in no time. "Dance!" she answered quickly.

"Food!" Weiss said simultaneously. When the other hybrid heard Ruby's answer, she frowned in anger. Like she'd given the incorrect answer in class and was now suffering humiliation for it.

"Well that makes things easy," Jaune laughed. "Here I thought you two would fight-"

"I changed my mind! Dance!" Weiss interrupted.

Ruby leaned out in front of Jaune's body and grinned at the girl. "Nope! You said food. No take-backs!"

Weiss' nose scrunched up. "No fair!"

"I hate to agree with Ruby," Jaune started, before Ruby tugged on his arm. He turned his attention over to her to witness a pair of pouting lips. "Okay, okay. I don't hate to agree with Ruby," he amended. "But I do agree with Ruby. She, um, has first dibs?"

Weiss didn't seem convinced. "We should retire and horn duel to claim the first dance," she argued.

"Nope. I already have the rightful claim. Sorry, Weiss. The first dance is mine."

"But I'm his First Mate!"

"Hey, don't worry. We have the whole night," Jaune said, placing a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "Enough time to dance with everyone."

The look on her face made it obvious Weiss wasn't happy with the arrangement, but here she had no choice. Not only had Ruby gotten a legal claim on the first dance, but Jaune agreed. As their pack leader Weiss had no choice but to obey.

"Very well," the other girl said coolly. Arrogantly, as she lifted her head high and turned. "While you're here stumbling about on the dance floor I'll be enjoying the finest human cuisine Beacon has to offer."

She left in a huff without saying another word. Typical Weiss. Even in defeat she had to make herself come off like the winner. However, the real winner here was Ruby herself. She'd get some nice one on one time with Jaune. It felt like forever since she'd had any of that.

Ruby felt the boy take her hand in his own, and looked up to see Jaune smiling down at her. "May I have this dance?"

She didn't know if it was some sort of human custom to have to ask permission. She'd already claimed the right, but perhaps the invitation was all just for show. In any case, she nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

Jaune led her onto the floor, finding an open place where they'd have room to move with the other students. Still holding her right hand with his left, and placing his own right on the small of her back, he began to move his feet. Ruby glanced down at them, hoping to mimic his movements the best she could without stumbling over herself and the stupid high-heeled shoes she wore.

Her mate, to his credit, led her every step of the way. Literally. He moved slowly and deliberately, allowing her to follow his footsteps as not to trip. Soon enough Ruby felt confident enough to not stare at her own feet, and to gaze back up into Jaune's loving blue eyes, trusting that he wouldn't lead her astray. That he would catch her if she fell.

Ruby leaned her head against his chest, feeling the beat of his heart as she moved with him. "I like this," she whispered as they danced.

She felt his chin come down to rest atop her head. "Me too."

The arm she had wrapped around his back clung tighter, and her right hand squeezed down on his fingers. Everything about this moment felt good. It felt right. It felt human.

It was almost a shame that she couldn't say the same about the rest of them. Around her the swirling mix of emotions were present, and not even Jaune's wonderful positivity and appealing scent could drive them from her mind.

"Hey, Jaune?" she asked, even as her head still pressed against his chest, eyes closed to all the world except for him.

"Yeah?"

"Tonight's supposed to be a happy night, right?"

It took him a couple seconds before responding. "Yeah. Why? Is something wrong? Are you not having fun?"

The question caused her head to move, and she shifted to gaze back up into his eyes. "No, no, I'm having a great time. It's just…" Ruby glanced around, seeing other students around her dancing. Mingling. Standing on the sidelines. Some in bunches. Some alone. "Not everyone's happy."

The boy hummed, moving his head around to take in the sights around them. "You feel it?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah."

Jaune nodded in turn. "Yeah," he echoed. "Um, how do I say this. Let's just say… not everyone's happy at these sorts of things."

Her head tilted curiously. "Really? Why? It's a lot of fun to dance with the person you love."

Jaune smiled, though she could tell there was sadness hidden behind his lips. "That's the thing. Not everyone has a person they love. Or at least… not a person who loves them back."

The hybrid's head began to turn once more, focusing on people, or at least areas, she felt the negativity stemming from. She wasn't an expert on human body language or facial expressions in the slightest, but even she could tell when a person was frowning or glowering. A handful of students wore the expressions on their faces. Some stood alone. Others were actually dancing.

"Why would they come then?" she wondered.

It was Jaune's turn to frown, and he shrugged his shoulders lightly. "I don't know. Hope?" His own gaze peered over the crowd, taking in the many students all around them. "Maybe thinking tonight's the big night they confess their feelings to the person they love. Maybe they hope they'll find someone in the same boat as them and they'll bond over being rejected. A lot of reasons. It's probably strange to you. You're used to taking what you want by force. You all are. Humans though… we're a lot more subtle about what we want and how we want to get it."

Ruby nodded. Maybe she didn't understand completely, but she understood enough to know that hybrid culture was different from human. Jaune was right in a regard. Hybrids fought for what they wanted. They horn dueled. They asserted dominance. Even with Weiss just now, there had been a clear indicator of who had first rights to Jaune. One that Weiss couldn't challenge. Not when the one above her in the social hierarchy laid down the law.

"Is it hard for humans to find love?" she asked genuinely.

The boy nodded again. "Yeah. One of the hardest things in the world. To find that special someone you want to be with. Sometimes for the rest of your life."

A Mate, rather than a mate. Ruby wondered, would Jaune be her Mate for life? Salem had told her she'd get married after this mission. Would that still hold true when this was all said and done?

With how Jaune was holding her, with the way they danced, she believed in her heart that it would. Jaune loved her, and she loved him. It didn't matter if there were others in their pack. So long as Jaune was her Mate, all would be right in the world.

"Then I'm lucky," she mused, once more leaning her head against the human she loved. "Not everyone has something like we do."

"Yeah," he whispered softly into her ear. "We're lucky there. Even if we aren't in some other areas."

The cold reality of their situation couldn't help but worm its way into her thoughts. Despite their love, despite their upcoming future together, she was still a hybrid. Jaune was still a human. She was still made to destroy everything he held dear. To destroy this place in which they danced.

To bring the world under Salem's heel, or to ruin. Whichever humanity chose.

Ruby swallowed hard, a traitorous thought entering her mind even while they danced. "Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Is… is what Salem doing… right?"

Silence was her answer, and the only sounds Ruby heard instead were the music and chatter of students around her. It forced her to look up from her place on Jaune's chest again.

When she did, she found the boy's face and emotions a mess. "No. Nothing about what she's doing is right."

Ruby nodded grimly. "Her plans are bad. Bad for humanity."

Jaune nodded in confirmation. "Yes. Yes they are. A lot of people are going to die if she gets her way."

A lot of people. Jaune had a family. A human family. Would they all die too if Salem got her way?

"What if we didn't?" she asked suddenly.

Jaune looked down on her confusedly. "Didn't what?"

Ruby felt almost dirty for even suggesting what she was about to. Still, the words poured from her mouth uncontrollably like a waterfall. "Like… what if we ran away? What if we stayed in Vale and never went back? We lived among the humans like normal people?"

Jaune went silent again. His emotions were still a twisted jumble of negativity. Ruby hated bringing out those feelings from him, but her own feelings and questions were genuine. Things had changed since meeting Jaune. She'd changed as well. What she once wanted, what she had been trained and taught to want, weren't what she wanted anymore.

"That's very dangerous talk, Ruby," he spoke quietly. "Don't let the others hear you say that."

"We can convince the others," she insisted. "They're only loyal to Salem because it's all they know. But… but I know you now, Jaune."

She felt something inside the boy leap with positivity. His hand clenched down on hers tightly.

Ruby knew she had always been different. The special case. The freak. The positive one. Despite her arm and Grimm horns, she'd always been ostracized as being the most human of the hybrids, and not in a good way which led to helping in their infiltration mission. However, being with Jaune had taught her this wasn't a bad thing. It was a good thing.

"I don't know if I'd be enough to make them want to stay in Vale," he argued. "To live and accept humans as equals rather than prey. Blake and Yang… they'd be hard to convince."

The hybrid rubbed her forehead lovingly against his chest like she would have done with her horns. "I wanna stay here with you in Vale. I love Vale. I love all the stuff humans have and do. I wanna make more friends like Penny. I… I don't wanna go home."

Ruby may not have been in Vale all that long yet, but she already loved it. She'd loved it since the first day Hazel brought them here. Going out to eat with her friends. Shopping. The idea of going to school where the goal was to learn rather than be the last one standing. Meeting new and totally normal human friends like Penny. The reasons went on, and all Ruby knew was that she liked it here far better than Salem's realm. Despite what she was, she felt like she fit in better among humans than she did her own kind.

The fact that she was wrapped in the warm embrace of a human only made her feel more confident in her reasoning. A human who knew what she was.

She felt Jaune squeeze her tightly against his chest. "Then we won't."

Her breath hitched. Despite Jaune's earlier doubts, there'd been no hesitation in his response this time. "Really?"

"Somehow. We'll find a way. A way to beat her. Or at the very least, a way to hide. So you'll never have to suffer again."

It was too much. Ruby didn't know what the human etiquette for public affection was, but she didn't care.

As they slowly danced together, Ruby pushed away from Jaune's chest and looked up to his face. Using the hand she held to balance herself, she pushed up on the toes of her high-heeled shoes and tilted her head before her lips made contact with Jaune's. She moaned softly in contentment as he accepted and returned the gesture, the hand on her back tightening and pulling her even closer to him.

"I love you Jaune," she whispered when she pulled back. A hand came up to his chest, feeling how his heart had began to race. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Ruby," he smiled down on her. "I'll always be here for you."

The girl grinned, her hand trailing down his chest on its way back to hold his hand. Until she felt something hard underneath his tuxedo. "Jaune… you're still wearing it?"

Her fingers pressed down, feeling a thin piece of metal near the middle of his torso. The pendant she had bought him on the first day they arrived in Vale. The one shaped like a heart. A physical representation of how she felt for him.

"Of course I am," he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You bought it for me."

Ruby's eyes were beginning to get wet. What a horrible time to spring a leak. "Jaune, my eyes are leaking again," she managed to squeak before the liquid pooled up to the point that it started dripping down her cheeks. "Why do they do that?"

They hadn't taught her about that in Salem's school. It had happened several times before. Most after she'd met Jaune. Ruby assumed it was a defect in her physiology. However, Jaune didn't seem alarmed by it in the slightest.

In fact, he was still smiling. "It's a human thing called crying," he explained. "You do it when you're sad. Sometimes when you're happy too."

She shook her head confusedly. "That doesn't make sense. Happy and sad are totally opposite. Why do humans cry for both?"

"I dunno," he laughed, and Ruby saw how his own eyes had begun to glisten. He was going to leak at any moment too. "Humans are strange, complicated creatures, aren't they?"

Ruby sniffed, wiping her eyes away on the shoulders of her dress. "Yeah. I wanna get to know all the weird things about them." _I wanna be one…_ her mind followed up.

"You're as good as human right now," the boy said genuinely. "You're actually way better than a lot of actual humans I've met in my life."

Liquid silver eyes stared into blue ones, which were beginning to resemble the ocean more and more with each passing second. "Then we can pretend forever!" she choked, burying her face into Jaune once more to try and stem the leak. "Even if I'm not human. I'll work hard to fit in. I'll get a job and have human friends and coworkers. We'll have human offspring together, and we'll be a regular human family. No one will ever have to know what I am."

Jaune's cheek came down to rest atop her head even as they continued to dance. Ruby simply allowed him to move her as he held onto her. "I'd like that," he sniffed, hugging her closely. "I'd like that a lot. But we have to think of the others too. As much as I want that life with you, we have to help your sister. Weiss and Blake too. We have to make sure they're as happy as we are."

Ruby nodded into his chest. "Yeah. I want our offspring to have aunts. All of them will be aunts. They're all a part of our pack."

She felt Jaune's chest heave as he laughed. She hadn't realized she'd said anything funny. Maybe it was another weird human thing where you could laugh for different reasons.

"We'll have the best and most loving pack ever," he agreed.

Had she been back at Salem's school, Ruby was sure that several of her classmates would have died from the sheer positivity she was radiating. It wouldn't have surprised her if her feelings right now had forced Weiss and Yang to flee the room in sheer discomfort. A glance around proved her wrong, with Weiss standing near a table covered with food. Yang was drinking something at the moment, having apparently decided not to drive a spike through the punchbowl.

As the music slowed, Ruby couldn't help but think about just how perfect tonight was. A night to remember as she'd thought it would be.

She hadn't known how long she'd danced for, but all she knew was that her legs were tired and wobbly as she used Jaune's body to support herself. Simply existing in high heels was hard enough, but dancing? Especially as long as they'd danced? That was exhausting.

"You okay?" Jaune asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah. Just need to go sit for a minute. These things…" she said, glancing down to her feet. "How do humans walk in them?"

"Don't ask me," he said hurriedly. Nervously. "I don't know. It's not like my sisters ever forced me to put them on and strut down the hallway like in a fashion show or anything. Nope. Didn't happen."

Sisters? _Sisters?_ "Sisters!" she finally squealed. Jaune had sisters! Jaune had his own Yangs!

Before she could press the issue, a familiar voice sounded behind her. "If you plan to sit the next dance out, would you mind if I cut in?"

Ruby turned to see her new professor, standing tall and proud in a glimmering black dress. Specialist Winter Schnee's expression betrayed no emotion as she stared into her silver eyes.

She swallowed hard, just a bit intimidated by the taller and older woman. "Um, sure," she said, letting go of Jaune before taking a step back. She turned back to her mate. "I'm gonna go get something to drink and rest for a bit."

"Right," Jaune nodded. "See you soon."

Ruby clicked away slowly in her heels. When she gained a little distance she turned around to see that Winter had taken her place in Jaune's arms. Both of the humans radiated with negativity.

She'd have to keep an eye on them, lest the attractive older woman try and steal her mate.

* * *

Jaune's heart had been racing while dancing with Ruby. It was doing so again. This time, however, for entirely different reasons.

Winter would have been an intimidating woman even if he hadn't known she was an Atlesian Specialist. Tall. Beautiful. She radiated power even in a relaxing environment like this.

An elegant black dress clung closely to her figure, accentuating her height and slender build. It sparkled like the night's sky filled with glimmering stars. The dress, along with the diamond necklace and earrings she wore, they were all attention grabbers. Still, Jaune didn't feel like she was trying to show off for anyone. This was just who she was. A glamorous young woman who stood out from the crowd even when she wasn't trying.

It was an all too familiar sight.

Weiss' sister. Weiss Schnee's sister. Knowing of their relation, he could see the resemblance went beyond anything physical. It was their shared demeanor. Their manner of speech. Their poise and confidence. They were just things that screamed sisters. Even after being apart for so many years, their similarities were impossible to miss.

"Do you feel apprehensive about touching me?" the older woman asked as they glided across the room to the classical music being played. "You didn't seem afraid when you danced with Miss Rouge."

Truth be told, he was nervous about it. His hand made as little contact as possible upon Winter's back. Even his grip on her own hand was halfhearted. Knowing who she was, he couldn't help but be apprehensive around her.

"Rosalyn and me are dating," he explained, hoping that it would be enough to drive her off the subject.

"So you are," Winter agreed. "However, I can't imagine that simply sharing a dance with one of your instructors would constitute as being unfaithful." Icy blue eyes stared into his. "Unless that's something you worry might happen."

Of course not. Jaune shook his head softly. "Never. I love her with all my heart."

Winter nodded, but her gaze never broke with his. "As you do Miss Slate," she stated matter-of-factly. "And who knows how many others. Tell me. Are you and Miss Xanthic an item as well?"

They weren't. Yang had never been interested in dating. She'd never been interested in joining the pack, despite how much Weiss wanted her to. It was a strange thing that Weiss, a girl who was such a jealous and possessive type, would actively campaign for Yang to join in. Yet it was for entirely practical, procreation reasons. It had nothing to do with love.

Hybrids truly were strange creatures.

"No. Only Rosalyn and Wren," he stated firmly. "I told you before we were only friends."

"I see," she said neutrally. "You'll have to forgive me, after finding you in such a compromising position with Yara."

On top of her between her legs, sweaty and panting? Yeah, that was a situation that could have been easily misunderstood. Why was Winter harping on it so much though?

One thing was for certain though, Winter was taking charge of the conversation. More than just that, however. She was leading _him_ in their dance. She was as experienced and skilled, if not more so than himself. She moved effortlessly in her dress and heels, the very epitome of charm and grace. Had this been any other situation he would have been over the moon to dance with such a pretty young woman.

As he had stated, however, he was already taken.

"Only the two," he reiterated, trying to take some semblance of control back into his own hands.

"Very well." Her eyes still never left his, and they maneuvered around the floor without missing a beat. "I must confess, you dance quite well. Is that how you were able to woo so many women?"

"Two," he said again. Well, there was Blake, but they weren't officially an item. Only in Blake's dreams, and his nightmares. "And my sisters made me learn how to dance. Trust me, not my choice."

"I'm sure you're not complaining about the results, however. And in the end results are the only thing that matters. Wouldn't you agree?"

Results. Like finding a way to save the hybrids. He didn't know how he would do so, but he didn't care. He _would_ save them. He would stop Salem too.

"I would," he said, his tone matching her grave one.

"A relationship between a man and two women cannot end well," she pressed. "You know it as well as I do. Jealousy will flare up. You will pick a favorite. There's _always_ as favorite," she said darkly. "The _result,_ " she emphasized. "Will not be pretty."

Jaune was beginning to feel defensive about Winter's comments. His tone once more matched hers, betraying the elegant dance they still shared. "And why's that?"

"A woman should feel treasured by the one they love. Like her partner has eyes only for her. You, on the other hand… have eyes for two. Or more." Her lip twitched. "Perhaps that's why you've gotten Miss Slate hooked on inappropriate video content, so that she will be distracted while you spend time with Miss Rouge."

Inappropriate video content. That's right. Winter had walked in on Weiss showing off her… internet porn. That was _not_ his fault!

"I didn't teach her anything about that," he argued. "She learned that from a teacher."

Another lasting lesson from Tyrian Callows. At least this one hadn't found him in the stomach of a Death Stalker.

"Really?" she inquired. Incredulously, if anything. "A professor from Haven introduced Miss Slate to internet pornography?"

Jaune hoped that she wouldn't look too deeply into it, and decide to punish some hapless teacher from Haven. "Yes."

She hummed. "Curious. Then again, you Haven students are an odd bunch. One could assume you had to learn it from somewhere…"

Was she actually buying it? That would be great if Winter got off his back about the whole porn incident.

That hope was dashed when Winter leaned up into his ear even as Jaune sensed the current song beginning to end.

"I will readily admit that I do not possess a great deal of experience with relationships. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you break up with Miss Slate now, that will be the end of it. Do not lead her on. Do not hurt her."

Winter pulled back in time with the song's final notes, staring into his eyes with the cold expression of death itself. Yes. This was most certainly Weiss' sister. A sister who was looking out for the best interests of her younger sibling. One whom she thought would be hurt by being in a relationship with Jaune and Ruby.

Never mind the fact that Weiss was the one who wanted to be with him. To form a powerful pack and have many children together.

Winter dipped her head gratefully, all traces of hostility wiped from both her face and voice. "Thank you for the dance, Mister Arc. I do hope you take time to consider what we've discussed here tonight."

Without waiting for a response Winter turned and strode toward one of the outlying tables on the edge of the room.

The one where Weiss was standing and eating but before he could even think to go after her...

"My, my."

He was stopped by another familiar voice.

"Darling," the soft tone of Blake purred. "You're simply radiating negativity. You'll make me jealous."

Jaune turned to see the faunus girl. Black hair cascaded down her back, spilling onto a dark purple dress. Apparently she'd come out to enjoy the dance. There was only one possible target for her affections this evening.

Despite it all, Jaune only had one question. "Where did you get the dress?"

Blake giggled darkly, blinding white teeth exposed as she tilted her head ever so slightly. "Oh, Jaune. Really, must you ask?" There was an edge to them that he wasn't sure was there before.

In retrospect it had been a stupid question. Blake probably had a school uniform from all three academies that wore them, in addition to a collection of other stolen items. "No. I guess not."

Blake daintily held out a hand, her head looking away as she spoke. "Shall we dance? I dare say you should find it quite worthwhile."

Had Jaune known better, he might call Blake's mannerisms modest. Even shy. The way she wouldn't look him in the eye said to him that she was nervous for his response, but Jaune did indeed know her better than that. Here was a venus fly trap, ready to snap closed once it lured its prey inside.

Still, knowing who and what Blake was, Jaune could not be surprised when she swallowed him whole. "I'd love to."

He took Blake's hand, and the errant hybrid pulled herself to him, wrapping an arm around his back. Jaune hesitantly did the same for her. It wasn't the same kind of hesitation he felt with Winter. Where he'd feared to so much as touch the woman, here he only feared to touch Blake too much.

"How are you this evening?" she asked, allowing Jaune to sway with her to the soft music. She leaned in closer, her breath hot against his ear. "Enjoying yourself?"

He glanced over to where Ruby was, finding her chatting animatedly with Penny, clad in her own white dress. The ginger girl pulled Ruby after her toward the dance floor. It seemed that at least Ruby wouldn't get bored or lonely while he danced with her fellow hybrid.

"I am," he admitted with a smile, watching as Penny attempted to do something resembling dancing. Ruby mimicked her actions, probably thinking that it looked normal. Soon enough his eyes focused back on Blake. "How about you?"

"Oh, so much," she smirked. "Would you like to know where I've been tonight?"

His brow furrowed as he stared into the golden eyes of the faunus girl. There was something mysterious in her tone. There was more to Blake's question than simply chatting about her night at Beacon's dance. "Knowing you, no. I'd rather not know how many animals you've slaughtered."

Blake hissed with soft laughter at his quip. Never mind the fact that Jaune very well would have believed that she was out hunting small prey to devour at night. "You think I would stop simply with animals?"

Jaune paled. "No."

She grinned against his shoulder. "Then you truly do know me, better than anyone else _alive_."

The way she hissed alive concerned him. "Lucky me," he deadpanned.

"Aren't you?" she agreed, either not sensing, or not caring about his sarcasm. Lifting her head from his shoulder, she pressed, coming up to her toes to lean into his ear. "I know something you don't know~"

She pulled back, a Cheshire grin wide on her face as she stared into Jaune's eyes. A dozen thoughts raced through his mind, each failing to tempt him from contemplating further.

"Do I want to know?"

She nodded. "I think you will. Let me answer, with a question. Where has Professor Fall been tonight?"

He didn't know. Emerald and Mercury told him that she was busy. Busy with what, he couldn't say. However…

"Where?"

Blake ran her tongue across the tips of her top teeth. Even without a maw of daggers and a long serpentine tongue, she was still terrifying. "You know Jaune, what they say about curiosity..."

"Where, Blake?" he pressed.

She giggled darkly, obviously amused by his impatience. "At the CCT tower. The poor thing, dressed in all black and a mask, but all that cleavage is bound to draw eyes." Blake hissed, all traces of humor gone when she spoke next. "Amateur..."

The CCT tower. Jaune couldn't begin to imagine what Cinder was doing there, but Blake seemed to be implying that she was sneaking around. Maybe even breaking in.

Before he could press the issue, yet another familiar voice sounded behind him. "Wow, looking great, you two."

Jaune turned and saw…

Black.

Black hair. A black tail swishing behind his black leather pants. An unbuttoned black shirt and a studded black collar around his neck.

Sun Wukong had fallen into a tub of black paint. Either that, or…

Jaune stopped dancing and Blake moved to stand at his side, still clinging to one of his arms tightly. "Sun?" he asked. "What… why…"

"O, woe is my death,

The pain leaves me mutilated,

I rot on my deathbed of despair,

My blood is liquid death,

Sealed in a coffin of flesh,

Why?"

Sun's tone had been flat. Sullen. Depressed. The normal fire and energy the boy possessed was gone. Replaced by darkness. Jaune knew why too. All from the conversation he'd had with the boy several days earlier. All to impress…

Blake moved slightly behind Jaune, still clinging to his arm. If anything, her grip was tighter now.

"Sun. My guy. Did you dye your hair black?" He glanced down to the faunus' tail. "You tail is black, Sun."

"Yeah, dude," Sun agreed. "I don't know, but I think I've started to see everything that's rotten and wrong in the world or something."

Translation: he was trying to act goth in order to impress Blake. All he was missing was the blotchy white makeup caked on his face.

"Let me maim him. Just his face." said faunus girl snapped.

"What is beauty?" Sun pondered. "Whatever the mainstream media tells us it is? The talking heads are everything that's wrong with the world."

"What about the Grimm?" Jaune asked.

"Maybe the Grimm are just misunderstood, you know? Who's to say what's good or evil in this crazy world of ours?"

Jaune glanced back at Blake to gauge her reaction to the proclamation of Grimm being misunderstood. She didn't seem amused. "I could slit his throat and have him bleed out in under a minute, Jaune. No one would blame me."

Now _that_ was something he might agree with the girl on. "I believe you, Blake."

She grinned. "Aren't you sweet? Maybe it's your throat I should focus on after all..."

"Hey, I'm here too!" Sun insisted pathetically, the whole goth façade dropping in an instant. "You don't have to flirt with Jaune when you have a dark and moody faunus standing right next to you!"

Blake groaned softly with disgust. Apparently unable to bear looking at Sun a moment longer, she buried her head into Jaune's arm. Jaune sighed for Sun's sake if nothing else.

"But, but I mean the hair! And the clothes! I bought them just for tonight and I spent hours dying my tail!"

It hurt Jaune to see someone try so hard but fail so miserably. In that regard Jaune was lucky. True to what Winter had alluded to, he did have his share of girls throwing themselves at him. He hadn't even tried to court any of them. Never mind the fact that they were all Grimm hybrids. They were still girls.

"Aww, what's the matter? Getting shot down by the mean old cat girl?"

Jaune glanced over to yet another newcomer. Yang, dressed in a shimmering golden dress with a leg slit so high that should have been illegal for someone with her beauty to wear, sauntered over to the trio with a grin on her face.

"No alcohol I take it," Jaune commented, noticing how she didn't appear intoxicated.

"None," she griped. "What a crappy party."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong," Sun chimed in, his boundless excitement seemingly back. "See, me and the boys actually have a little something we were planning on cracking out ton-"

"Seriously?" Yang interrupted. "What do I gotta do to get in on this huh? Dance? You wanna dance, monkey man? Let's go!"

"Wait that's really not neces-aaahh!"

Sun screamed in surprise as Yang pulled him by the arm so hard that Jaune thought it might have been ripped from its socket. She tugged him along until they were a few feet away from Jaune and Blake.

"Your disappointment was delicious," he heard Yang comment as she and Sun danced together. "I bet you were really looking forward to dancing with Blake huh?"

Yang seemed to be in a better mood. At least at the prospect of having a little alcohol with Sun. That was far better than the girl rampaging through the dance slaughtering as many people as she could before being taken down.

Maybe his fight with her had indeed proven something. At best, giving her hope that he would protect her. At worst, putting her in her place on the Grimm hybrid pecking order so that she would follow his orders.

Still, she'd bitten him at the end. Was that out of spite? Or something else?

Suddenly Blake was back in front of him, offering her hand to him once more. He had never seen or felt her move, but then that never seemed to stop her before.

Jaune took it, and the two again found a rhythm to the music as they moved as one across the floor.

Cinder. The CCT tower. Blake had been there. Unbeknownst to their old teacher, Blake had seen her. Blake was always there. Watching. Waiting.

Blake saw all.

"The tower," Jaune reminded her, though he knew she needed none. "Why? What was she doing there?"

"What's her plan? Who can say? Maybe you'll find out someday~" Blake sang. Hissing laughter followed after.

"Blake…" he warned. Once upon a time he would have dreaded speaking to her in such a tone.

Now, however, he'd grown used to her games. Was he still utterly terrified of her? Of course. No sane man wouldn't be. At the same time though, he couldn't and wouldn't let her be in control of his reactions to her.

The hybrid cackled softly, white teeth bared in a wide smile as she stared up at her dance partner. They were sharp again. "Knowledge is bought… at a price."

Jaune swallowed hard. "What price?" His mind feared the worst.

Her head turned, and she glared at where a certain dyed-haired faunus was dancing with Yang. "Keep that… mongrel away from me."

"You mean Sun?"

Blake's head snapped back around to face him. "You will not speak its name in my presence," she hissed.

"So in order for you to tell me, all I have to do is keep… him from talking to you?"

"A fair exchange," Blake purred. "I could ask for more, if you want. I could ask for a kiss. Or _more._ "

More. Jaune dreaded to think of what Blake could have asked him for. Something maybe involving tentacles. Or teeth. He knew he was lucky getting off without having the hybrid stick her long tongue down his throat.

"No, no, you're right," he agreed. "More than fair if you ask me. You're so generous, Blake. I can't believe how incredible you are."

Blake hummed, pressing her nose against his chest and breathing deeply. "Mmm, yes. The terror of me asking for more. Wondering what I could want from you, but having no idea what. You have a scent like no other, Jaune. Fear that monkey could never hope to replicate."

"Sun doesn't know the real you."

"Oh? Is this not who I am," she smiled. There was a glint of red that mixed with the gold of her eyes. "Or have you come to accept the truth?" She leaned up to his ear again. "That you only see me as a monster, regardless of the skin I wear?"

Jaune had slipped up and he knew it. "No. No, of course not. I didn't mean I like that. I'm so sorry, Blake."

"Hurt. Regret. I can tell how much you care, Jaune. The negativity is all for _me._ " Blake giggled, pressing her forehead against his chest just like Ruby had. "Mine, mine," she whispered. "All mine…"

He regretted his words, but if her behavior was any indication Blake enjoyed his misstep. Maybe it was because she held information that he wanted. Maybe it was because they were dancing. Maybe it was his negative thoughts. Or maybe it was a combination of all of these things. Whatever the case, Blake didn't exactly seem unhappy here tonight.

And in order to keep her happy, Jaune had a new short term mission he needed to accomplish. Keep Sun away from Blake at all costs. Only then would the hybrid reveal whatever information she had on Cinder to him. The question he couldn't help but wonder as he moved with the lithe girl in his arms, was why would she tell him?

Why would she betray Cinder? And in doing so, Salem?

* * *

The night was warm, but Winter was cold.

The Specialist strolled slowly through the courtyard with her companion, her hands clasped calmly behind her back. Inside, however, she was a nervous wreck of a woman unbefitting of both her name and station. Her reason for being this way was valid, however. Finally, after days of impatience and anticipation, she finally had her sister alone. Away from those immature and perverted teammates of hers.

She would finally be able to speak to Weiss one on one. She would finally get a chance to truly know her sister.

The light wind gently rustled the branches of the trees that dotted Beacon's courtyard. Here out in the open, away from the stuffy and noisy dance hall, they could speak candidly. Openly. Honestly. While there were still scattered students walking about here and there, they were all going about their own business and would not give the sisters a second thought.

It was everything Winter had wanted since coming to this school and laying eyes on her long lost sister. Now at last she would be able to fulfill a dream which had eluded her since her childhood.

She had to force herself to remain calm as she spoke. To Weiss she was just an instructor. To the outside world she was just a teacher and Weiss just a student. To Winter, however, Weiss was family. "Tell me, Miss Slate. Have you been enjoying your time at Beacon so far?"

The words tasted like ash in her mouth. Miss Slate. Wren. That was not her name. Her name was Weiss Schnee. To have to play this charade with her own blood made the Specialist sick to her stomach.

"I have," Weiss admitted. "The faculty has been quite accommodating, with the exception of a certain professor who refused to provide me with the necessary study material I requested. I've even made a new friend in my short time here."

Winter remembered all too well the new 'friend' Weiss had made. That faunus girl from Beacon who had… indulged Weiss in that sick perversion of hers. One undoubtedly learned from Jaune and his girlfriend Rosalyn. Or rather, Ruby. But who was the professor that Weiss had an issue with?

"That's good. Have they been feeding you properly? A girl your age, especially a huntress, cannot afford to maintain an improper diet."

The question seemed to perk up Weiss, and she beamed with happiness as she stared into icy blue eyed that matched her own. "Oh Vale has had the most wonderful cuisine," she gushed. "There have been so many dishes which I've experienced for the first time in my life. Have you ever eaten a hamburger, Specialist Schnee?"

 _Winter, Weiss. My name is Winter…_ "I have. You've never eaten a hamburger prior to coming to Vale?" she asked with surprise. Winter didn't think that Mistral and Vale's cuisine were so different. But then again, knowing what she knew about Team AWRY, who could say they really hailed from Mistral?

"I have not. Most of what I've eaten throughout my life has been, shall we say, simple in comparison to the kind of meals I've enjoyed in Vale."

"They're delicious, aren't they?"

"Yes!" her sister said with unbridled enthusiasm. Winter couldn't help but find amusement at the sudden burst of emotion. "They're especially good with salt, which is the _only_ mineral from the ground one should use to season their meat."

A curious specification, but Winter paid it no mind.

Before stepping outside, she'd found Weiss at one of the refreshment tables gorging herself on the many finger foods Beacon provided for the dance. It was obvious her sister had quite an appetite. The thought made her smile, though she knew that Weiss could not behave in such a manner when they one day returned to Atlas.

"In fact, it was only once I met Jaune that I truly discovered what hu- what well-prepared food could taste like. He's an excellent chef and provides healthy and delicious meals for me."

It all went back to Jaune once more. Winter had no idea what kind of spell the boy held over her sister, but it had to be broken. Weiss may not have seen the truth, but Winter did. She'd seen the way the boy danced with Ruby. A relationship consisting of three people could not work out in the end. Weiss would wind up with her heart broken. Winter had to show her there was another way. A better way. She would show her as much when she brought Weiss home to Atlas.

And she had just the plan to do so.

"I see," Winter said neutrally, the smile falling from her face at the mention of the boy. "You look to be in fine health as well. Well-fed, and an appropriate amount of muscle on your small frame. You'll make a powerful huntress one day, Miss Slate."

"Thank you, Specialist Schnee. I find that extensive cardiovascular exercise every night does wonders to balance out the large amount of calories I intake daily."

It warmed Winter's heart to see how hard-working her sister was. Not many would work out so diligently at night after a day of vigorous training only a huntsman academy could provide.

"I'm certainly happy to hear that. To see that you're doing so well. That you're alive and well." Winter stopped herself in her tracks, realizing that she was getting far too emotional. She had to sound like her interest was exclusively professional rather than personal. "As the future defenders of humanity, it is imperative that you thrive in your studies so that you may be effective once you graduate."

"Indeed," Weiss agreed. A glance over to her sister showed no signs of confusion or awkwardness. A crisis had been averted. "Specialist Schnee? May I ask you a question?"

Or had it? "Yes?"

"Why are we out here instead of the dance? These are not normal school hours after all."

Weiss was correct. In reality Winter had no right to take Weiss away from the party and her teammates. It had been surprising that she'd agreed to come along in the first place. However, now that she was questioning it, Winter had to think fast.

"You are correct, and I apologize for taking you away from the dance. You see, I simply wanted to get to know the students I would be instructing on a more personal level, and… I believe that you have immense potential. As such I merely wished to speak with you outside of class in hopes of formulating a lesson plan which would cater to your strengths and weaknesses."

The elder Schnee held her breath, hoping that the other girl would not call her bluff.

Thankfully, Weiss seemed none the wiser. "That's very thoughtful of you, Specialist Schnee. I truly look forward to learning whatever I can from someone as strong and talented as you."

 _Specialist Schnee._ She'd heard it time and time again in such a short span. Winter didn't want to hear it again. "If I may ask, Miss Slate, please call me Winter."

This time there was confusion on Weiss' face as she peered up at the elder Schnee. "Are you certain that's allowed?"

Perhaps if this was the Atlesian military Weiss would be correct. But here at Beacon? Especially after school hours? Winter simply wanted to hear Weiss say her name.

"I'm certain. I am your instructor, after all. You should do as I say," she added with a wink.

"Of course," Weiss answered, her posture becoming more rigid. It wasn't exactly the response she would have liked. She wanted Weiss to feel comfortable around her. "Winter."

A hushed breath slipped through Winter's mouth, and she had to work overtime not to choke on the emotions flooding her body. Winter. Winter! For the first time in forever, her little sister had spoken her name. It pained her that she could not call her Weiss. That she could not throw her arms around the girl and squeeze her tightly as she cried onto her shoulder. But soon. Soon, and for the rest of their lives, they would be together again. They would be a family again.

"Are you okay, Winter?" Weiss asked, the utterance of her name threatening to make the Specialist lose control all over again.

The Ice Queen closed her eyes and took a breath, replacing the cold mask on her face. It wasn't time yet. "I'm fine," she lied. "Something I ate must not be agreeing with my stomach."

Weiss hummed, nodding in understanding. "Perhaps we should return to the dance then. You'll be able to sit down and nurse your stomach, and I must dance with Jaune before the night is over. He's already danced with Rosalyn, and even yourself. I must get my share."

Loathe as she was to give her sister more time with that boy, it was obvious to her that Weiss was head over heels for him. She would indulge in her wishes… for now.

"Very well. But before we return, Miss Slate, may I ask something of you?"

Weiss focused her attention on the woman at her side again. "Of course. Anything."

"To better understand your abilities, may I see your Semblance?"

Weiss stopped. Winter did as well.

"M-my Semblance? Why?"

She was hesitant. Why? "To instruct you better, is all." She would never say the real reason, of course.

"I…"

Winter's eyes narrowed. Was Weiss onto her? "Yes?"

"I must confess, I do not possess a Semblance," she said with embarrassment. Weiss stared down at the sidewalk, ashamed of having to admit such a thing to her instructor. There was no acting here. No lying. Winter could tell her words were true. Not everyone was able to unlock their Semblance.

"I see." This problem was perhaps a misunderstood opportunity, however. Winter gently placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Perhaps if we focus on meditation and Aura training we can unlock it. Together."

More time with Weiss. Training together. Making up for lost time. They would unlock her hereditary Semblance together, and they would become closer for it. Winter couldn't have dreamed of a better excuse than this to see Weiss daily.

Winter saw how Weiss squeezed her hands closed, balling them into fists. In the dim light of the dust lamps around campus, she saw her sister shake her head. "I can't."

"You can't?" Winter pressed. "What do you mean you can't? Do you not want to even _try_ to-"

"I don't have my Aura!" she snapped, interrupting her sister in a complete contrast to her normal behavior.

Weiss' demeanor would have been shocking enough. But with her accompanying words? Winter was nearly lost for her own. "You… don't have Aura?"

Bitterness and anger were etched onto her sister's face. She said nothing in response to the question.

"Wei-" Winter started before catching herself. "Why would you ever apply to a combat school? _How_ were you even accepted without Aura?"

"I'm strong. Strong even without my Aura." Weiss stomped her foot on the pavement. "I'm not jealous of my teammates for having Semblances and Aura! I'm not! I'm better than Rosalyn and Yara! If they can handle it then I can too!"

Winter had sensed opportunity before with the prospect of being the one to unlock her sister's Semblance. Here, however, was all of that and more. An honor she couldn't have ever dreamed of being presented.

"Miss- Wren," she amended, using her false but first name to encourage Weiss to lower her guard. "Do you trust me?"

Pale blue eyes shifted up, meeting Winter's once more. "Of course I do. Not only are you an instructor, but your hair and eye colors indicate that you descend from a bloodline worthy of dignity and respect." The anger in her voice had been replaced by arrogance in a matter of seconds. "It's quite the flattering combination, if you ask me."

 _As are yours, dear sister._ "Then if I may be so bold, I would be honored to be the one who unlocks your Aura. With your express permission only, of course."

Anger to arrogance. Arrogance to hopeful joy. Weiss' face erupted in a smile that was contagious for her older sister. "Truly you would do such a thing for me?"

"I would do anything for you," Winter stated truthfully. That truth extended further than Weiss could ever realize.

Weiss nodded frantically. "I thought that maybe Velvet would have helped me. Or even Jaune. But I suppose the correct time never presented itself for him, while Velvet was able to help me out with something else of importance. But… I can handle this. I know I can. I'm ready."

Velvet. The faunus girl who had 'helped' find certain media on Weiss' scroll? Winter's nose twitched in disgust. _Don't remind me…_ She chased the thought from her head. "Then give me your hands, Wren."

Her sister did as instructed, placing her hands out palms up for Winter to grasp. She did so, and the feeling of holding her sister's hands in her own made everything seem right in the world. Now she was about to have the honor of unlocking Weiss' Aura.

Truly this was a magical evening that she would remember for the rest of her life.

"To be perfect is to achieve immortality. Perfection is a burden to be sought out, to be fought for and cherished, for others and never for ourselves." Winter poured her Aura into Weiss, every ounce of strength she had embracing her dearest sister. "Through the weight of legacy, we must strive forevermore to be perfect, and with our legacy achieve for the good of all. This is what it means to be a Schnee."

Weiss' body glowed with the warming light of Aura, her own innate power ignited. Winter's eyes closed, her strength being temporarily sapped by sharing her Aura, and unlocking Weiss' own.

The bloodcurdling scream that split Weiss' lips opened Winter's eyes, and shook her to her core.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This certainly was a long chapter, and an extremely fun one to write at that. A wonderful blend of romance, drama, and humor, all leading to a cliffhanger worthy of RWBY itself.

Next chapter will pick up where it leaves off, and there's a lot to be answered when it comes out. I can't wait to get to it. I hope you all feel the same way.

My thanks go out to a returning **Burkion** for his assistance in spicing up Boogie Blake in a way that only he's capable of. Poor Sun. What ever will the poor guy do now that his canonical positive energy can't be directed at Blake?

And of course, my thanks go out to all of you for your continued support. While I have you here, please consider checking out the latest chapter of my other ongoing story, **A Fall Summer Knight's Dream**.

Thanks for reading.


	30. Chapter 30

Following the dance with Blake, the elusive hybrid had vanished as quickly as she'd appeared. With a wink and a smile that sat somewhere between flirtatious and murderous, the faunus girl had melted into the crowd to go and do whatever it was that she did. Jaune knew he'd rather not think about what those things might be.

Unless, of course, she was off to gather more information. Information he was in dire need of if he were to make some sort of attempt to foil whatever it was that Cinder and Salem were planning here at Beacon.

However, those thoughts were soon driven from his mind in one of the most pleasant but terrifying ways possible. A new dance partner had shown up to take Blake's place shortly after her departure. Fresh off her manhandling of the freshly-minted goth faunus boy, Yang had come over to the now free Jaune and taken his hand into her with zero hesitation. It hadn't been an invitation to dance. It was an order.

It seemed that ever after their spar the other day, this one could not be tamed.

Yang had taken _him,_ and not in a way Winter or even Blake had. Even without her monstrous Grimm arm, her right hand squeezed down tightly on his left as a sign of dominance. It was clear to the boy with how she held him close to her, pressing him firmly against her chest, that Jaune was dancing with _her._ Not the other way around.

The glimmering golden scales of her dress were like those of a dragon, shining as the chandeliers above them glowed softly and reflected off her. More than just the gorgeous dress though, Yang possessed beauty the likes of which, speaking objectively, none of the other hybrids did. They were all beautiful in their own way, but Yang was the embodiment of classical beauty. Long flowing golden locks hung past her shoulders. Her hourglass figure was accentuated by her form-fitting dress. Her bust was the stuff of men's dreams. He could proudly say that it wasn't just a dream for him. He'd seen it back in Salem's realm.

As the two teens moved and swayed together, Jaune was forced to stare down at a flawless face that always seemed to have some trace of amusement gracing it, like she knew some secret joke that no one else was in on. Even the smallest of her smiles was bright enough to light the entire room by itself. Yang was a shining beacon of beauty and grace. Of fun. Of fiery passion.

All a façade, concealing the angry beast within.

"So, Yang," he said, moving the girl in his arms with the music. It was odd how he felt like a prisoner in Yang's grasp, yet she allowed him to lead. "So far everyone I've danced with has shared their deepest, most personal secrets and desires with me. Anything you feel like talking about tonight?"

Yang quirked an eyebrow as she peered up at him with bemusement. "What makes you think I'd be into any of that touchy-feely crap?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Just seems like it's something that's been happening tonight." A frown tugged at his lips. "Why'd you bite me the other day?"

The mischievous smirk never left her own lips as she answered. "Why'd you enjoy it?"

"I did _not_ enjoy it."

"Right, right. You only like it when Weiss bites you. She's a kinky one, isn't she?"

Yang wasn't wrong. Still, despite having lived among hybrids for months, he still wasn't fully familiar with their culture and mannerisms. He had good ideas of what they meant in their hybrid forms. Ruby's horn nuzzling was a sign of affection. Weiss' horn poking was an attempt to assert dominance on him, though he knew in the end she was the one who enjoyed being dominated. But in lieu of using their horns now, they had to adjust to using more human methods of physical affection. Weiss had begun biting him. Yang bit him too.

Did that mean…

"Are you in love with me, Yang?" he asked.

The smile finally fell from Yang's face, replaced by disgust and horror. "Oh gods no! Ew!"

That… certainly hadn't been the reaction Jaune was expecting. Quite frankly it was a bit of a punch to the gut.

"Oh," he managed to say softly. "Okay."

"That would be awful!" Yang pressed, loudly and boldly in contrast to Jaune's own quiet tone.

"I understand," he said, trying to quell and end the discussion right here and now.

"That would just be the most repulsive thing ever," she instead continued to rant.

"Please," he begged.

"Could you imagine anything more sickening?"

"Yang, please."

"Gods, that would just be-"

"I get it!" Jaune snapped. Only to squeeze his lips shut immediately after.

Glancing around he saw how some of the closer couples had turned to stare at the pair. Jaune's face warmed, being the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't unusual, given his unique circumstances with a quartet of girls who only barely understood normal human customs. His eyes came back to Yang, though they were unable to meet her… disgusted gaze. Was she really so turned off from the idea of love? Or was it just loving him specifically.

"I just wanna fuck you," she abruptly continued. "I don't _love_ you."

And that answered that. Jaune felt his face grow warm all over again.

Being pressed so closely to such a gorgeous girl, wearing such a revealing golden dress, Jaune felt his heart rate increase dramatically. With Ruby and Weiss there was true, genuine love shared between the three of them. Even Blake had her own twisted idea of love that she was projecting on him. Yang though?

Yang just wanted his body. He'd be lying if he said he'd never thought about hers too, especially after seeing her in the shower back at Salem's academy. She'd seen his too.

He suddenly felt very differently about being trapped in her embrace right now.

"But being tied down in a relationship?" she continued. "No thanks. Commitment isn't exactly my strong point. I'm not looking for a pack. I _am_ a pack. I'm a free woman, and I'll take who and what I want. You. Sun. Whoever. That faunus boy must be strong too if he's able to scare Blake so much. I wonder what he's like in bed."

Sun would probably be too sullen and depressed after this evening to even think about such things with Yang, not matter how enticing the idea was. He'd had his eyes set on Blake and was utterly shot down once more. One day he'd need to have a bro to bro talk with him about giving up his pursuit.

After all, the knowledge of what Blake saw Cinder doing depended on it.

"So if you're in the mood after this whole dance thing…" she trailed off, the suggestive curl of her lips returning to match the tone of her voice. "Or, if you wanna just blow it off right now and show a girl a good time…"

The temptation was strong, and it wouldn't be 'wrong' in the eyes of the culture of these girls. Weiss had in the past lobbied hard for Yang to join their pack, only for Yang to turn her down every time. Ruby herself had explained to him that as the alpha male of the pack, he was entitled to have multiple mates. _Mating_ with Yang wouldn't be seen as being unfaithful to her and Weiss. If anything Weiss would probably be happy at the prospect of another girl to produce strong offspring with.

…he was using their terminology now in his mind. He'd spent _way_ too much time with these hybrids…

Regardless, even if his partners would be fine with the arrangement, Jaune himself wouldn't be. He was still human. He still held human beliefs and traditions. Though it was unusual to be with two different girls at the same time, he would at least justify it by saying that he loved them both. Jaune didn't love Yang anymore than she loved him. At least not romantically. Like with Blake he did love and care for her, but not in a way where he'd ever want to be in a lasting relationship with her.

"Gods, I want to," he admitted softly, imagining the look and feel of her undressed body against his. Yang's eyes narrowed victoriously as her smirk deepened. "But I can't do that with someone who just wants sex. Not when there's no love involved." He couldn't believe he was saying those words. A year ago he would have done it with the blonde bombshell with zero hesitation. Now he was turning down her offer for no-consequences sex.

Her smile was wiped from her face in an instant. "A Mate, rather than a mate," she mused darkly. "I'm not built that way, Jaune. Mates have a tendency to disappoint you. To _leave_ you…"

The atmosphere had changed completely, and Jaune feared that it was his fault. He was reminded of the last time he had danced with Yang. Back at the dance in Salem's school. When he'd held Yang in his arms, and she'd revealed the truth about her mother. Not the mother of Ruby who sat prisoner in Salem's dungeon, but the woman who'd been their father's first wife.

The one who'd left them when Yang was still a newborn.

"I'm not leaving Ruby and Weiss," he whispered. "Never."

She only hummed in response.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up," he continued. "Let's just enjoy the rest of the dance and the night, okay?"

She nodded, but it was clear that the wind had been taken out of her sails. Probably not even because he'd turned down her advances, but rather for being reminded of the unreliability of her father's first… Mate.

Jaune held her a little bit tighter after that, wanting to do his best to try to comfort the girl, but not quite knowing how. Yang was an entirely different animal from Ruby and Weiss. She was fierce and independent. Not at all open about her feelings. Not particularly willing to be comforted by him in the ways he knew worked on the others. All he could do was hold her with as much love and affection as he could muster, and try to show her a good time.

Until her head suddenly snapped up. Jaune saw lilac eyes wide with focus, and she turned to the left, staring at what he could only assume was something outside one of the large windows of the dance hall.

Yang's movements grew sluggish, and Jaune could tell something was amiss. "Yang?" he questioned softly. "What's wrong?"

He saw how the tip of her tongue poked out through her lips briefly, like a snake tasting the air to get the scent of its prey. The muscles of her back grew tight and rigid. Yang was like a coiled spring ready to release at a moment's notice.

With his attention focused squarely on the girl in his arms, Jaune was blindsided when Ruby rushed up to them. "You feel that, right?"

Jaune's head whirled around to see the girl in the dark red dress. Concern was etched onto her face. He turned back to see Yang's answer for her little sister.

"Yeah," she breathed. "Oh gods, I feel it." A twisted smile crept onto her face. "It's like someone must be getting murdered out there…" she gasped excitedly.

Jaune continued to look back and forth between the sisters, trying to piece together what they were talking about. If this was some sort of hybrid thing, he was surprised that Weiss hadn't come up to them as well.

He looked around. There was no sign of her or Winter. That was concerning to say the least.

Feeling a tug on his sleeve, Jaune turned back to Ruby. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"We have to go. _Now,_ " she insisted. Jaune made no efforts to fight. Neither did Yang as she released him from his grasp.

The trio of teens rushed through the crowded hall toward the door. To whatever lay outside that had the hybrids so excited in Yang's case, and worried in Ruby's.

* * *

Weiss burned with a blue-white Aura, dropping to her knees. Spittle flew from her mouth as her screams grew louder, Winter taken aback. Never in her life had she seen someone react so violently to their Aura unlocking. It didn't make sense to her. It was as if her sister's Aura was harming her. Winter's voice caught in her throat as the sight before her started to shift.

A trick of the light? Weiss' skin was the wrong color. Though naturally pale, this was an ashen white that no human could have ever boasted. The girl glared up at Winter, icy blue eyes melting away to solid red. Winter barely raised her Aura in time to take the hit, Weiss's leg lashing out and striking her in the stomach. The strength behind her kick, inhuman!

The Specialist rolled away, struggling to keep from coughing, watching as her sister picked herself up unnaturally. Her shoulders rose first, her legs following, her blood-red glare burning in the moonlit night. Changing eye color was not unnatural, though unheard of in their own family, but Winter could swear that all of Weiss' features grew sharper. Muscular detail that didn't previously exist made itself known against taunt skin, an inhuman strength filling the girl.

With a flourish of her hand, Weiss created a great black lance, twisting and organic looking. To Winter it looked for all the world like a Grimm transformed into a weapon. Black spider web-like veins pulsed beneath her skin, becoming visible across every inch of exposed flesh. Finally, from her forehead, a powerful horn emerged, splitting her otherwise pristine face and parting her now wild hair.

Winter shakily got back to her feet. "We-Weiss?"

Weiss' head turned sharply, the horn shining with an edged polish. Her head tilted slightly as she regarded Winter with idle curiosity.

"Human. You know my name," Weiss's voice was cold, harsh. The warmth and girlish simplicity was gone. "You must be slain."

Winter began to tremble. This couldn't have been her sister. But at the same time, who else, or what else could it be? "Weiss, you have to stop! Please!"

The command fell on deaf ears, and the creature with Weiss' face shifted her feat to attack. Seeing how she had no other choice, Winter leveled her sword at the monster and readied herself.

The two met in mid air. Avoiding the lance's tip was easy enough, but the bulk of the weapon caught Winter all the same. Not damaging, but still enough to throw her off. A slash across Weiss' arm was the best she could manage before being physically tossed away. Winter landed feet first, already running up the far wall as Weiss curved her own descent after her. Her arm bled black freely, Aura slow to heal with no practice. Winter tore her eyes away from it just in time.

Weiss was suddenly in front of her, slashing at her with an otherwise normal looking arm. Winter could feel the strain of her Aura keeping the attack from rending her in twain all the same. Thrusting, she found her counterattack deflected by the great lance of her would-be sister. Weiss landed another crushing stomp on Winter, throwing her back to the ground.

Winter crashed, Weiss' foot planted on her chest. The abomination tilted her head again. "Humans. Weak, pathetic, so unsure of themselves. I am most grateful to have been reborn, perfect."

"Weiss, please talk to me!" she cried through gritted teeth. Winter tried to focus, the crushing force of Weiss' inhuman strength straining her already depleted Aura. "What happened to you? What's going on?"

"I am the forsaken, given new life and greater purpose by my mother. She spoke to me once of it," Weiss lazily lifted the lance, Winter knocking her foot away long enough to roll out.

The stone shattered as the weapon effortlessly penetrated the ground. Her head twisted, glowing eyes following Winter as she tried to get back to her feet. Instead Winter found her erstwhile sister's foot connecting with her stomach, sending her up off the ground and into a far too fast punch, throwing her back into the wall. Winter, teeth gritted, fell to one knee. Weiss seemed to be in no hurry, slowly walking towards her, dragging her great lance through the earth behind her.

"Mother told me of how I was abandoned. On a flight, to be given away by those who never loved me. How her angels came and rescued me. Because I was special. Because I am special. Because I am perfect." Weiss' head twitched. Her attention wasn't on Winter anymore. It didn't seem to be on anything anymore. "I don't need humans. I don't need friends. I don't need a pack. I am perfect. I am alone. I am Weiss. Jaune will betray me. Ruby is weak. Yang is unstable. Blake is corrupted. But not me. I am-"

"A Schnee." Winter was only a few feet from her sister, her Aura flaring outwards dangerously. Blue-white at the edges, but black at the core. "You are a Schnee."

Weiss's head jerked back to Winter. Her breathing was erratic, free hand flexing back and forth. "That word means nothing to me!"

Weiss started her charge, Winter opening a glyph beneath her feet. Stepping on it had the desired effect, the smaller girl tossed into the air. Winter leapt after her, grabbing at the girl with both arms.

"You are a Schnee! You are Weiss Schnee!" Winter pleaded, tears in her eyes.

Weiss lashed out with another kick across her face, sending her falling back. Winter, stopping her descent with an emergency glyph, used it to bound back even higher into the air. Creating a summoning glyph, she unleashed a ghostly Beowolf on Weiss as she ascended.

Weiss' eyes went wild as the white Grimm grappled with her, Winter taking care that it did not harm her. "How dare you use the powers of Grimm, human! Who do you think you are!?"

"Your blood!" Winter cried back.

With a practiced ease, Weiss killed the Beowolf in just a few movements, falling to the ground in the process. While a hit to her already draining Aura, it was enough of a distraction for Winter. Separating her smaller saber from her larger, she created another glyph at the apex of her leap. She landed on it, the gravity glyph holding her in place.

Weiss's head snapped up, cold fury etched on her face. "You keep saying these stupid, meaningless things! You keep calling me something I'm not! You insult my very heritage and try to use it against me! I will not stand for this, human!"

"Weiss, you have to listen to me! Please!" Winter's breathing was ragged, her stamina drained.

"I am perfection! Others will hurt me, others will make me weak! They are distractions! I will kill you, human, and all others in my way!"

From the ground she tensed. Winter could feel the pressure built around her small body. After a moment she leapt, the rocky arena below shattering, the noise drowned out by Weiss' shout of mindless fury. Winter, eyes narrowing, let out her own battle cry as she fired off from her glyph, fast enough that her dwindling Aura struggled to keep her from injury. Weiss thrust her lance forward just as Winter predicted, stabbing her saber into its spiral folds. With a sharp twist, Winter disarmed Weiss and herself as the two rapidly approached collision. Winter displayed her smaller saber, drawing it back for one final stab. Weiss, for her part, lowered her head, not losing a beat by being disarmed.

After all, she still had her horn.

They clashed midair simultaneously. Winter wasn't sure what felt worse, her Aura shattering and Weiss's horn goring her through the right side of her chest... or the feeling of blood spraying, as her own saber sliced through the once flawless face of her sister. The two, unified through mutual bloodletting, crashed together into the rubble below.

Blood running freely, Winter found she was being held up painfully by Weiss's horn. One of her legs wasn't responding, pain screaming at her with every attempt to move it. Her right arm was limp, the wound numbing her from the worst of the pain. Her left arm, however, was intact, and her hand still firmly gripping her secondary saber.

It made a melancholic noise as it clattered to the ground.

Weiss, hair staining red with Winter's blood, stared at the older woman in confusion. Half of her face was covered in a mixture of Winter's red blood and her own black, dripping from a fresh wound torn down through her left eye. A wound that was far too shallow, the eye itself escaping major injury. The hybrid shook her head, jostling Winter.

"I don't understand. That was a killing blow," Weiss glared up at the human impaled on her. "Why did you pull back? Why didn't you end this? You're a human. You hate me. You must hate me. That's what you're for. You exist to hate me! Why didn't you kill me!"

Of course she hadn't. Winter could never have brought her full skills to bare against Weiss. She never could have even dreamed of putting the life of her sister in jeopardy.

Left hand shaking, tears flowing freely, Winter touched Weiss' cheek. "I could never hate you. You're my dearest sister. Never."

Weiss took a step back, black veins retracting slightly. Face screwing up in confused fury, she hurled Winter away from herself. The woman hit the far side of the rubble strewn ground, unable to rise again.

Weiss was muttering to herself, Winter barely able to hear her. Her own wound robbed her of any strength she had left. Still she could not tear her gaze from her sister, who was now screaming at herself.

"You can't love me! You can't, you don't, you're lying! I don't have a sister, I don't have a family! I don't, I don't, I don't! My family is Salem alone, and I exist only to-!" An inarticulate scream tore from her sister's throat, an inhuman noise that pained Winter to hear. "I will prove that humans can't- that you're lying. I will! You must be, have to be, can't be, I am not wrong!"

Winter wasn't sure what happened immediately after, nor how much time passed. Her vision went dark, until she felt a strange warmth flood her body. The boy, Jaune, was in her sight, standing over her with glowing hands. Her own Aura was reignited, but her body was in no shape to move yet.

"Weiss, where is she?" She heard him shout, scared out of his mind.

Strength and consciousness returned slowly to the Specialist, whose head rose to see a myriad of colors around her. Jaune's blond hair atop a black tuxedo. Ruby, her red dress matching the color of Winter's right arm and chest. Yang, a dress of golden scales shimmering in the pale light of the outdoor lamps.

Winter shook her head. "I unlocked her Aura. I can't..." She started to cough, her Aura trying to sort out injuries in her chest she was unaware of.

"We'll explain later! Just hold on!"

Winter, fresh tears falling, shook her head. It fell back down to the pavement to stare up at the night's sky. "I can't imagine how scared she must have been," she whispered groggily. To herself more than the teenagers gathered around her. "How lonely she was, all this time..."

Jaune and his healing hands placed on her torso was the only one she could still see. He grimaced, but said nothing. Was he like Weiss? Another child, stolen from another family, like Ruby and Yang? Winter couldn't know. Weakly she raised her hand to his.

"Go. Save her. Please."

Jaune stared at her hand for a moment, before nodding. "I promise."

Winter's arm collapsed. Even that was too much. Her injuries were worse than she thought. Idly she moved her head around and she saw Ruby looking scared. Even Yang looked nervous as the three spread out across the courtyard and beyond. As darkness claimed her once more, she only hoped that they could find her before it was too late.

* * *

Who they were didn't matter. What they were doing outside of the dance was of little importance. These two students, so happy and caught up in the moment, were shaken by sudden nervousness. How could they not be? They were outside, near where the fighting took place. They had heard, in part, some of its conclusion.

One, a female, grimaced. "Think some kind of Grimm got in?"

Her companion, a faunus male, shook his head. "So what if one did? What are they going to do, join the dance? They'd be killed instantly. We've got like, a dozen huntsmen!"

She giggled. "Yeah, you're right. I've just never done well with that side of things, you know?"

"Stick with me, babe. I'll keep you nice and safe." With those well worn words, he drew his companion close.

Together, they must have felt safe. Together, they must have felt secure. Loved. Together, they would be invincible.

She would show them otherwise.

The male was the first to go down, gored through the back, the tip of her horn piercing out through his stomach. He fell to the ground with a bubbling gurgle on his lips, the blood coming up from his abdomen choking any attempt he made to voice his pain.

His companion didn't even get the chance to scream as the hybrid struck her in the throat, the girl going down, choking. The boy, startled and starting to cry out, still found his voice strangled by his own life fluid. He wished to alert others of her being here?

Then he would be silenced.

She slammed him face first into the ground, leaping down with him. The poor fool hadn't even raised his Aura yet, the full brunt of stone and her own ferocious strength quieting him. The smell of blood and the subtle taste of enamel from cracking teeth filled the air, Weiss drinking it in.

The girl was moving, still gasping and gagging. Weiss slashed her across her face with her horn, a shallow wound all considered. Still the weak thing fell backwards, whimpering. Strangled screams would not come as Weiss skittered over to her. Head twitching, Weiss watched the girl thrash, blood oozing from her wound.

She looked nice like this, Weiss decided. Grabbing the girl, Weiss pulled her to her feet. The student, of which school Weiss could not know and did not care, was crying. She smelled delicious. Weiss, knees bent, slashed at her in a dizzying dance.

Clothes and flesh tore equally, the terrified child kept standing only by Weiss' erratic blows. Did this girl still feel like she would be safe, because she had another? No. She couldn't. Weiss would teach her that. Weiss would teach her that it was best to be alone. That it was her fate. Yes, that was best.

To have nothing. To be nothing. To know nothing.

The boy started to rise again, desperately struggling against his superior foe. He was swiftly knocked down, Weiss flipping backwards and slamming her foot into the back of his head. No, that would not do. He wouldn't get to ruin this. She was understanding, finally. Alone, was best. Alone, was what she was. She was alone. That was proper. That was pure. That was perfect.

Why was she attacking them? It was an odd question to occur to her. Part of her screamed that it was because they were. They existed. They dared to stand when they should have just died in the crib. But why not just kill them? Wouldn't that be faster? They abandoned her, after all. They tried to get rid of her. They rejected her. Everyone rejected her. Everyone would reject her. Everything would. She would have nothing. She would have-

Weiss watched as the boy started to rise one more time. She waited for him this time. Let him see the state of his companion. As he started to turn, all sorts of pleasant ugliness burning from him, she plunged her hand into his side. Blood sprayed as she tore it back out, covering her face and drenching her hair further.

Weiss stared at her hands as he fell. Her fingers were ruined, flesh fraying, nails cracked and bleeding. Her head tilted at the red that stained her arms. Was he dead? She found she no longer cared, watching the blood drip from her fingers. At first it was warm, but it steadily cooled. Soon even this temporary warmth would leave her and she would be-

Something, behind her.

Weiss turned, Blake staring at her. The other hybrid was clutching a wall, staring at Weiss expectedly. Her tendrils were on full display, her mouth its true horrific form. Weiss lowered her horn.

Inferior, corrupted beast. Nothing like she was. She was perfect. She was-

"So," the faunus interrupted her. "This is you."

Weiss' breathing quickened.

"Can't you speak? You were always so wordy before..."

Weiss stood. She was not like this thing. She was more. She was perfect. She was-

"What would Jaune think, seeing you like this?"

Weiss snarled. "Queens need not consider the opinions of beasts."

Blake's grin, if anything, widened. "And that is what you are? A queen? What of that woman you've maimed? What was she?"

"Nothing! Lies and trickery. Nothing more. I have no family. I need no one. I am perfect! I am-!"

"Lonely?"

Blake was gone, even as Weiss' fist smashed a hole in the wall.

"This is what you truly are. All pretense burned away. All ignorance bled dry. You can now truly understand who, and what, you are, Weiss."

Weiss twirled, the voice coming from behind her. Her breathing was becoming erratic, harder and harder to control. That word kept hammering at her, her resolve to prove herself fading inch by inch.

"Alone."

If Weiss was in her right mind, she would have realized that voice was not Blake. If she was in her right mind, that voice would not exist at all. She would not be drenched in blood that was not hers, screaming incoherently at things that were not there.

The building she heard the voice coming from was familiar, but Weiss wasn't sure why. It was filled with books, she discovered as she smashed her way in. She had been here but why didn't seem to matter. Stalking forward, she stalled.

Before her was a stranger.

Long red hair, a scar across her face, and a haughty, superior expression greeted Weiss. The stranger wore red gloves that went up to her elbows, pointing at Weiss as the hybrid gestured at her.

"Who are you?"

The woman repeated these words, Weiss' face twisting into a scowl. The woman copied her.

"Answer me!" They screamed.

"I am Weiss," she offered. The stranger parroted the name.

"You can't be me! There is only one of me, and I am her! I am alone!"

The stranger smiled at her. It was a sad smile.

A coldness settled over Weiss. As cold as the drying blood on her face and arms. There was no stranger. It was her. It was only her.

Her reflection in a mirror. Because she was right.

Weiss fell to her knees, quaking. Who were those people she attacked? Why had she attacked them? Was that person really her sister? Where was Jaune? Where was Ruby? They were supposed to be her pack. They were supposed to be with her! They weren't supposed to abandon her! To leave her-!

"Alone," the mirror spoke to her. "The loneliest of all."

Weiss, falling forwards and only catching herself with her hands, stared at the reflection. The image in the mirror was crying. She didn't want this. She didn't want to be this!

"M-mirror, tell me..."

* * *

Jaune would have said that this was bad, but to utter the words aloud would be a hilariously stupid understatement.

Leaving the side of Winter Schnee, he was flanked on either side by hybrid sisters who appeared just as concerned as he was. For Ruby he could assume she had Weiss' best interests in mind. For Yang on the other hand, tonight's events threatened to expose their entire operation. He knew that was what she feared most.

Walking with no destination in particular, Jaune wracked his brain on how best to proceed. He might have asked Winter where Weiss had run off to, but in her current state he wouldn't have trusted the information to be accurate even if she had been conscious enough to give it. He had to think, and think fast.

His head whipped around to face Yang. The one who'd alerted him to the situation in the first place. "Yang, do you have any idea where Weiss might have run off to?"

The blonde hybrid's head rose, chin up, inhaling through her nose like dog might have. In times like these it certainly paid to have what was essentially a pack of negativity-seeking bloodhounds. "No," she said softly. "There's too much damn negativity in the air. Including from that one back there," she added, jabbing a thumb behind her at the still recovering Atlesian Specialist.

Jaune turned to Ruby now, like a patient seeking a second opinion on a medical condition. Ruby's expression was just as grim as her sister's. "She's right. With how many people are in the dance there's a lot of bad emotions."

The boy nodded, accepting the answers from the girls. So much for things being easy.

Still, she couldn't have gone too far. And in her Grimm form he hoped that Weiss would have the common sense to stay hidden. Either in the shadows or one of Beacon's buildings. He didn't know exactly how she would have reacted to having her Aura unlocked. His experience every time so far had been different.

Yang had become little more than a feral beast upon having her Aura unlocked by him, rampaging through the combat arena trying to tear apart both her friends and sister until Ruby had finally gotten through to her. Blake on the other hand had been able to speak when Professor Rainart had her flare up her Aura for a class demonstration. Though after what Jaune had heard from Blake's lips when she broke down, he wish she hadn't been capable of speech.

He still wondered why Ruby hadn't reacted at all. When her Aura had been unlocked flawlessly and harmlessly the first time they'd made love.

"If she's running on instinct she might be sticking to the shadows," he mused. It was troubling that he was able to have insight on feral Grimm behavior. He'd spent far too many months surrounded by Salem and her cohorts. "But if she's attracted to negative emotions then she might be going after people too. Just not a huge crowd of them. She's too smart to start a fight she couldn't win. But is she thinking clearly enough to know that?" A hand came up to grip his hair tightly, frustrated beyond belief that Weiss was missing and there was nothing he could do about it but blindly search. "Damn it," he whispered harshly.

"Have you lost something, darling?"

The voice, one from _above_ him, stopped Jaune in his tracks. Peering upward, sure enough, was a familiar dark-haired girl in a purple dress sitting lazily upon a thick tree branch. Pale legs hung loosely down, swaying gently like leaves on the evening breeze.

"Blake," he snapped. "We don't have time for this."

The faunus girl grinned, and in the moonlight a normal looking mouth of teeth appeared as a maw full of daggers. Was it a trick of the light, or had Blake intentionally misshapen her face to give him such a frightening smile?

"Oh, silly me," she lamented with all the regret of a cat who'd just caught herself a delicious mouse. "And here I thought you would want to know where our errant sister had gone."

"What?" Jaune gasped. His gaze up at the girl intensified, and in doing so caused Blake's legs to kick up and down with more energy. "You saw her?"

"I see everything, darling," she bragged, leaping from the branch and landing on her high-heeled shoes with amazing grace. A cat faunus indeed. "Though, our little Weiss is quite quick on her feet for such short legs."

"Where," he pressed, not in the mood at all for Blake's usual games and riddles. The fact that Ruby and Yang had stepped up to stand on either side of him made it clear that they weren't either.

Blake hissed silent laughter, amused by the threatening display. Obviously not afraid in the slightest. "Perhaps we should split up," she suggested. "To cover more ground."

It was a surprisingly good suggestion. Jaune looked to his right and locked eyes with Ruby. She merely looked back up at him, waiting to see if he agreed.

In the end he did. "Ruby, take Yang and go toward the strongest source of negativity you feel. If you find her, call me right away."

Ruby nodded. "Right."

He smiled, watching as the two sisters ran away from where he and Blake stood. He trusted Ruby. Out of all the hybrids she was the most stable. She was the most capable of looking after Yang. If the blonde got out of control for any reason Ruby would be able to calm her down.

That just left him with…

Blake linked an arm around his own, pressing herself close to his side. "How romantic. A stroll through the park under the moonlight. It's just like a date, don't you think?"

Jaune moved, taking Blake with him as she refused to relinquish hold of his arm. The two strode side by side, and to anyone else it might indeed appear that they were out on a date. Looks could be deceiving, however. The fact that these Grimm hybrids wore human skin was proof enough of that.

"Lead the way," he begrudgingly requested of the girl at his side.

Blake laughed once more. "A true modern man, allowing the lady to take the lead. How progressive of you, Jaune."

"We're just finding Weiss," he told her as she did indeed begin to lead him in another direction. Following a scent he could never hope to sense. "Do you think you know where she is? Or do you already know, and you just wanted to split up to be alone with me?"

Jaune saw how her lips split into a satisfied grin. "Oh, Jaune. You know me so well…"

"So you do know."

Blake giggled delightedly. "Follow the misery and bloodshed~" she sang.

He didn't know what she meant by that until seconds later when he saw it. When he saw them.

A pair of bodies on the ground. Neither moving.

Jaune was finally able to break free from Blake's grasp, her apparently having let him go so he could rush up to the first of the two. He wore a black tuxedo like himself, and was undoubtedly around the same age. Another student. Another attendee of the dance.

A wet hole pierced his gut. Under the campus lights Jaune could see blood pooling around him.

The boy brought a hand up to the neck, and thankfully felt a pulse. "He's alive," he sighed with relief. "Blake, check the other."

As he placed his hands upon the boy's stomach and activated his Semblance, he saw how Blake casually approached the girl who lay prone on the ground as well. Like the boy she had been attacked, and there were multiple lacerations from raking claws on her arms and torso. A dress, once a shimmering white, was stained red from numerous wounds.

Blake strolled up to the girl with her hands clasped behind her back, seemingly indifferent to the injured girl as she bent down at the knees to examine her closer. Jaune's eyes widened in horror as Blake reached out with a finger and spooned up a tip full of the girl's blood before licking it clean.

As Blake's tongue darted out to lick her lips with satisfaction her eyes met Jaune's. Her lack of reaction showed that she found nothing wrong with what she'd just done. "She lives," the hybrid stated indifferently. "And the blood is fresh. Weiss can't have gone far."

Jaune shook his head without a word, standing up after finishing mending the boy's wound before moving onto the girl. Like before he placed his hands over the girl's worst injuries and her body began to glow a soft white.

"We should hurry," Blake insisted. "There are many huntsmen in this school, but only one Weiss. Allow this one to die so that she may live."

Jaune couldn't believe he'd just heard what Blake said. "I'm not leaving anyone to die."

A soft, guttural growl hummed in the back of her throat.

"I'm _not_ ," he insisted.

Blake took several steps back, her hands once more clasping behind her back. "As you say."

It didn't take long to heal the girl, and when Jaune was satisfied that both students would live stood back up and moved toward Blake. She urged him onward with a motion of her head.

The library was close now, and Blake was making a beeline straight toward it.

The door was ajar, and it creaked as Jaune pushed it open, squealing like something out of a horror movie. The scent of paper and ink filled his nostrils. He briefly glanced over to Blake to gauge if she might smell anything different.

"Weiss?" he called out, the word echoing in the dark, abandoned library. He really was like the stupid protagonist of a slasher film, about to get cut to bits for his shouting. "Weiss, are you there?"

Soft cackling sounded near him. Blake, of course, found this highly amusing. "Weiss isn't here…" she whispered.

Jaune felt ready to explode. He'd _told_ her he wasn't in the mood for any of her games. "Then why did you-"

He cut himself off when he heard another noise. Another voice. An all too familiar one in the distance.

"Weiss…" he gasped. He swallowed before summoning the strength to shout. "Weiss! Where are you!"

"She's not here," Blake repeated. "But she is."

Jaune ignored Blake's words as he drove himself deeper into the library. Through the labyrinth of shelves that darkness had made into a formidable obstacle. All the while following the whispers and mutterings of his target.

Until he found her.

There, hunched over on the floor with her legs pulled up to her chest, and staring into a full-length mirror which stood up against the wall, was his missing teammate. His missing friend. His missing lover.

"Weiss!" he yelled, rushing over to stand behind her. Even in the darkness he saw her reflection in the mirror. It was a horrifying sight to behold.

Red marred a once pristine head of snow-white hair, a cocktail of perhaps three different people she had attacked in her rage. Her beautiful white dress was torn and sullied, never to be worn again for a dance by the beautiful young woman. A single, proud horn stood defiant in a place where so many students had studied the skills to kill a being like her.

Most horrific of all, however, was the large gash which nearly split her face in two. A line, crusted black with scabbed hybrid blood, trailing down her forehead, past her eye, and onto her left cheek.

Jaune knelt down behind the girl, staring into the mirror to witness blank red eyes that were open but at the same time not awake. Weiss' lips moved and trembled, as if trying to speak but allowing no words to pass.

"Weiss…" he said gently, placing his hands atop her shoulders. Her body was trembling under his touch. Like she was freezing.

He'd expected her to flinch. To turn and snarl at him. To even attack. Nothing, however. No reaction. It's like he wasn't even there.

Her lips continued to move, repeating the same motions over and over trying to say a single word. "M… m… m…"

"Weiss. What are you trying to say?"

Like a fish out of water, gasping for air, Weiss's lips opened and shut, pressing down to try to formulate the word just out of her reach. "M-m-m-mirror…" she finally managed to say.

Jaune's eyes glanced from her cheek back up to the mirror. Was that all? She was just trying to say the word of the object she was staring into?

"That's a mirror, Weiss," he agreed. Like talking to a child who was still learning to speak. "Mirror."

"M-mirror," she repeated, easier this time. "M-mirror. W-what's. Inside. Me?"

Jaune peered back down at Weiss again, searching for an explanation. Was she talking to him? Or was she talking to the mirror? He glanced up at Blake, who stood back curiously studying the scene before her.

The faunus girl merely shrugged. "Don't look at me. She's insane."

That was rich coming from Blake of all people. But right now he wasn't trying to compare the two, nor was he trying to put Blake down. She was a victim just as much as Weiss was. Right now, however, Weiss wasn't handling her newfound Aura well at all.

The question she had asked though. He had the answer for her. Her Aura was inside her.

Jaune's hands squeezed gently on Weiss' shoulders, trying his best to reassure her with his presence. She still shook in his embrace. "That's your Aura," he said soothingly. "Your human Aura. Do you know who gave it to you?"

He hoped he was doing this right. Weiss wasn't acting how Yang had, so he wasn't sure if the same method would work on her. Telling her how much he loved her over and over again might not do it. He might need something stronger. Luckily he knew just the person for the job. Or at least, the person's name.

"M-mirror," she said again.

"Not mirror," he corrected her. "It was your sister. Winter."

Weiss' head snapped at attention. A fire returned to her eyes, and for the first time since coming upon her, it felt like Weiss was truly alive. Those glowing red eyes of hers regarded him with sudden interest.

"Winter," he repeated, seeing how it had gotten a reaction from the girl.

Weiss snarled, and began to thrash under his grip. Jaune steeled himself, and pressed down so that she couldn't stand and attack him.

"Winter gave you your Aura," he said as calmly as he could even as he had to force Weiss to stay down. "Because she loves you."

Weiss shook her head, snarling bestial sounds through sharp, blood-stained teeth. "No…"

"Yes," he insisted. "Winter, your sister Winter, loves you. She unlocked your Aura because she loves you. I love you too, Weiss."

Weiss snarled and grunted, the savage noises sounding more like something from a Boarbatusk than a beautiful young woman.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Blake commented from behind. "Witnessing her true self. The monster that sleeps in your bed, still asleep even while awake."

"That's _not_ the real Weiss," Jaune snapped as he turned to look back at Blake. "She's not a monster. None of you are."

Blake sighed dreamily.

He could deal with Blake later. Right now he needed all his focus on Weiss. "I love you," he repeated. "Your sister loves you. Winter loves you."

Her body jerked under his controlling hands. "I… don't…"

"We love you," he insisted.

"Don't… have… sister…"

"You do. Winter."

Weiss shook her head. "Loneliest of all…"

"Not anymore," he whispered, bringing his face down to her filthy red-stained hair. "Not alone anymore."

She shuddered, and Jaune pulled up to gaze back into the mirror. To witness twin trails of liquid dripping down her white face, one of the streaks becoming dirtied as it passed over dried black blood.

"Not… not… alone…"

"Not alone," he echoed. Hands moved from her shoulders to wrap around her chest, pulling her back close to him. His chin rested on her shoulder as he stared at her face in the mirror. "Not alone anymore. Winter. Ruby. Yang. Even Blake." He held her gaze before he said the final name. "Jaune."

The muscles of her face contorted. Her lips shook. Red eyes held more clarity in them than they had since he'd arrived. In the mirror they moved to peer at his own blue orbs. "Jaune…"

"Jaune," he agreed. "Jaune loves you."

"Jaune…"

Hands which had rested at her sides came up, and clawed fingers found his human ones. She dug her fingers in between his, clenching his loving hands in her own even as they rested atop her stomach.

"I love you, Weiss. We all love you."

"Jaune…" she barely managed to squeak, her voice cracking and signaling the waterfall which began to descend down her cheeks.

"Weiss," he breathed. He kissed her cheek, uncaring of the filth that marred it. "You're okay. It's going to be okay. Winter's okay."

Her chest heaved, and shuddering breaths fled her mouth as the tears began to flow freely down her face. "Jaune… I… I…"

He didn't give her a chance to finish, and Jaune moved around on his knees to her side, willing her to turn to face him as he did.

Weiss obeyed without hesitation.

His arms wrapped around her back as she buried her face into his chest, screaming a cry of anguish that was muffled in his tuxedo. She cried. She cried and cried and cried. Uncaring of who saw or heard her. Uncaring that the image of the perfect, strong hybrid had been reduced to a weak, frail mess of a girl.

Weiss' back heaved as Jaune held her tight, sobbing uncontrollably into the boy she loved. The boy who loved her. With one hand he began to gently stroke her hair, doing his best to comfort her as she continued to let her emotions flow freely. He rested his forehead on the top of her hair, squeezing his own eyes shut as he tried to prevent tears from falling from them.

"I'm sorry…" the girl sobbed into his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"

"Shhh," he whispered. "It's okay. It's okay. Everything's okay."

Was it, though? Winter may not have been killed, but all that meant was that she knew their secret now. He had no idea what she planned to do with this information, but the fact that she had told him to save Weiss gave him hope. Hope that he and his friends would live to see another day.

But if this turned out to be his last, he would use every last second of it in order to comfort the girl in his arms. He would love and protect the girls he cared about to his dying breath.

* * *

Red-tinted water pooled around his feet, swirling around before exiting through the drain. There was so much of it. No matter how much went away, there was always more.

The scent of shampoo filled Weiss' nostrils as the warm water of the showerhead hit the back of the man behind her. As his body shielded the nude young woman in front of him. Yet despite the fact that neither she nor he wore a stitch of clothing, there was no arousal here. There was love, though none of it sexual. Even had the blood which soaked her hair and covered her skin never been present, now was not the time for romance. Now was not the time for their usual games and shenanigans.

Now was the time to show how much he cared.

Large hands ran through impossibly long and thick white hair, squeezing and stroking as Jaune worked the shampoo over every little bit of her mane in order to cleanse it. Her short stature gave him easy access to it, and Weiss stood before him wordlessly as his fingers dug and kneaded into her pure white locks.

She recalled the last time he had shown such a display of care and affection toward her. It was a curious thing, having thought of the same incident only a few days ago. The morning he had bandaged her wound and held her in bed. That wound had been physical. This time…

Not even her enhanced hybrid physiology could heal this wound. Not even Aura could heal this wound. No, this wound was on her heart.

Her heart. Weiss glanced down at her chest, and pale human skin greeted her eyes. Modest breasts, the tips gone hard from the water, stood proudly. Normally she would have been proud of her lithe and beautiful body. Normally she might have been inclined to turn around and suggest that she and Jaune mate here in the shower. Now, however, her mindset and her mood made all such desires impossible.

Sister. She had a sister. A human sister. How was that even possible? What was she? _Who_ was she? Schnee. Weiss Schnee. That word which Winter had told her. The surname of the Atlesian Specialist. It was hers as well. Not Slate. Slate was a lie. She was a lie. Weiss was a lie. Weiss Schnee was the truth.

Jaune's hands ceased their movements in her hair again. This was their third run in shampooing her long hair in trying to cleanse it entirely of the red tint that her sister's blood, that the blood of two strangers, had left in it. "Turn around," he ordered softly.

Weiss nodded, and the two flipped places so that the water from the showerhead rained down on her. Jaune's hands aided it, helping to squeeze the water and shampoo out and down her back as the warm liquid hit her. White suds flowed and dripped down her flesh before joining the filth around their feet.

The feel of his large, strong hands on her head and back warmed her inside as much as the warm water did her body. Weiss closed her eyes, basking in the feeling of someone who cared about her taking care of her. There may not have been anything sexual about any of this, but there was a certain level of romance that came with tending to your lover and mate which could not be denied.

With the last of the shampoo rinsed from her head, Weiss leaned back against Jaune's chest, feeling his strong ribcage and collarbone on the back of her head. Water continued to pelt at her chest, and both her front and back felt warm from two entirely difference sources of heat. With her arms she reached up and behind her, finding Jaune's own hair and running her fingers through his wet blond locks.

"Hold me," she ordered him in turn.

Arms wrapped around her front a moment later, squeezing her body against his. There was no arousal or hardness on his part, and Weiss was fine with that. There was always time for that another day. Right now she just needed to feel comforted. She needed to feel loved. Like her whole world wasn't falling apart. Like her entire reality hadn't just been uprooted.

She needed a little piece of familiarity and security, and right now Jaune was just that.

"We didn't get to dance tonight," she lamented, her thoughts drifting to the ruined and bloody dress which was crumpled on the floor outside their shower. "But I'll settle for being in your arms here and now."

Weiss felt his chin brush against her hair as he nodded. "Whatever you need, I'm here for you."

A soft smile graced her lips. "Whatever I need," she echoed. She would always have what she wanted and needed. She was Weiss. Perfect. What she desired she received. Right now she needed him. Ruby couldn't have him. Blake couldn't steal him. Yang couldn't mate with him. He was hers right now. Hers for as long as she needed.

Her eyes closed again, and against the back of her head she felt his heartbeat thump against his ribcage. It reminded her of the boy she'd impaled through his own ribcage. Him and his female companion. She wondered if they were alive. If her actions tonight would bring down consequences for her and her team. Jaune didn't seem concerned. But did Jaune even know about them?

The smile slipped from her lips as pale blue eyes opened once more. "Jaune."

"Yeah?" he answered softly.

"There were two humans," she said uneasily. "On campus when I… attacked." She wasn't about to say when she rampaged. Or went insane. Or lost control. All such words and descriptions were unbecoming for someone of her station.

"I know," he said soothingly. As his hands rubbed gently around her stomach. "They're okay. I took care of them."

Had he not said the first part, Weiss might have thought that by taking care of them, Jaune finished them off. Dead men told no tales. However, dead bodies also raised too many questions. It was good that Jaune helped them to live. However…

"They were weak," she spat. "Such pathetic specimens are not fit for an academy that hopes to train huntsmen. Their lives mean nothing, and had you allowed them to be taken out of the gene pool nothing of value would have been lost."

Jaune said nothing in response to that. She heard him exhale behind her.

His silence only prompted her to continue. "Truly pitiful if you ask me. Neither were armed nor prepared to face me. The boy was impaled and rendered incapable before the fight even began. And the girl? Reduced to a crying and blubbering mess in the face of true danger. Weak. Pathetic." The words rolled off her tongue with unbound disdain. "Human."

The worst word of them all. The worst crime they had committed was being themselves. Being human. Like her sister. A sister who was somewhere out there even as they spoke, plotting who knew what against her far superior younger sister.

At least… that's what her mind screamed at her. Her heart told a different story. Her mind and heart were at war with one another.

"So am I."

The words struck Weiss like lightning. Her arms fell limp to her sides. "What?"

Jaune's hands came down from her stomach, leaving an aching cold in their wake. Like the chill that was running through her body now. "So am I," he repeated.

Weiss turned, head tilting up to gaze upon the naked young man behind her. Blond hair was soaked and water ran down his face and body, making him appear vulnerable and exposed. His eyes, however, were strong and certain.

"You're what, human?" she questioned. Her vision gave him a look up and down. Of course it made sense, he was in his human disguise. He always wore his human disguise. He had since the day they'd met. "There's no reason to maintain our façade in the privacy of our own-"

"I'm a human, Weiss," he interrupted her. His words were hard and deliberate. His hands came up to rest on her shoulders, holding them firmly in his grasp.

Weiss shook her head softly, eyes squinting as they peered into his own. "What are you talking about? You're not some weak, pathetic-"

"Not anymore," he stopped her again. "But I was." He shook his own head, biting down gently on his lower lip. She felt a strange mixture of emotions from the boy. "My life matters, doesn't it?"

It was a strange question to ask, but Weiss had the answer on her lips without hesitation. "Of course it does. You're my mate."

"Then a human life matters to you, Weiss."

Her face twisted, nose scrunching up as she struggled to comprehend his words. "What are you talking about?" she asked again. "Jaune, you're not making any sense. You can't be human. You not only went to Salem's academy, but you survived. You _thrived_. A human couldn't do that."

"If my life matters, then theirs do too," he continued, ignoring her protests. He was still caught up on those dumb, stupid humans she'd nearly killed. "But if their lives don't matter to you, then mine doesn't either. Which is it, Weiss?"

She was beginning to get irritated by this game, but Weiss still had an answer for him without hesitation. "Of course your life matters. My mate's life matters, just as mine does to you."

"Your mate," he agreed. "Your human mate."

Weiss felt him use his grasp on her shoulders to push her against the tile wall of the shower. It was cold on her back. She wanted to feel his warmth again, yet there was none anymore. Only the cold, hard stare of his eyes boring into her own as he pinned her to the wall.

"You need to know now," he whispered. "You have a human sister who loves you." This Weiss knew, and despite the fact that she knew it, it confused her. How was she supposed to feel about it? "And you have a human mate who loves you. Humans aren't evil, Weiss. Humans aren't made for you to dominate and kill. They can love you too. We all can. If I can, if Winter can, why not others?"

Weiss tried to move away from him, but Jaune's grip on her shoulders was absolute. For the first time in a long time, she did not want to be manhandled by her mate. By her mate who insisted on proclaiming that he was human.

"Jaune," she snarled. "Let go-"

"I'm a human, Weiss. And I love you."

Without waiting he leaned in and took her lips with his own, and Weiss felt her resistance melt away. Actions spoke louder than words, and despite how he had repeated that he was human, none of it mattered when she felt the loving and familiar feeling of his kiss. Doubt and anger fled from her body as she gave in and returned his kiss with equal passion and vigor.

After long seconds Jaune pulled back, the hard expression on his face replaced with one of love and care. "I'm human, Weiss."

Meeting her sister tonight had shaken Weiss' world to its very foundations. If what Jaune was saying was true…

Her world, her entire outlook on both her own life and life in general, would be shattered.

She still didn't want to believe his words even as she shook her head in disbelief. "You're…" she began, unable to give the word of what he was utterance.

"Human," he finished for her. "After tonight you need to know. You deserve to know. All this time I've been lying to you. All this time you fell for a weak, lowly human." He choked back some sort of vocal emotion when he spoke next. "And a human fell for you."

He always wore his human disguise. He had since the day they'd met. He always wore his human disguise. He had since the day they'd met. He _always_ wore his human disguise. He had since the day they'd met.

The cold truth was dawning on the hybrid girl. The boy she'd gone to school with. The boy whose bed she shared. The boy who she'd mated with. The boy who was the Alpha of her pack, and who had shown her nothing but unconditional love, was human.

How was any of this even possible?

"You're human…" she whispered.

Jaune nodded. "Human. Just like Winter. If we're both human, Weiss, then can we really be bad? Can we really be what you want to kill and destroy?"

Kill. Maim. Burn. Everything she'd ever been taught, every instinct she possessed screamed at her to destroy humans. Destroy their creations. Even now, as Jaune stood before her naked and vulnerable, a small part of her brain was telling her to tear him apart. However, an even larger part of herself was refusing to do so. To tear and rend her mate apart like he was cattle was unfathomable to the hybrid.

Even though he claimed that he was human.

He was human. And she was a hybrid. Yet she had fallen in love with him. He had fallen in love with her. Which meant…

An incredulous laugh slipped from Weiss' lips. Even as water hit her back, it heaved with uncontrollable laughter. Her eyes closed and her mouth was wide open as Weiss imagined that she must have looked and sounded as unhinged as Blake right now. But she didn't care.

After many long moments she was able to catch her breath, and her head dropped down, softly shaking at the funniest thing she'd ever heard in her life. "I'm a hybrid, and you're a human…" she mused out loud.

She wasn't struggling anymore, and Jaune removed his hands from her shoulders. Still, she could sense his apprehension. That, and all of the negative emotions which accompanied his confession. "Yeah. What are you thinking, Weiss?"

She glanced up at him, staring into his wonderful blue eyes. His _human_ blue eyes. Of course he was human. It all made so much sense in retrospect. Why didn't he ever show his Grimm form? Why did he have a human weapon? Why did he know about human cooking? Kissing? All those human customs period? How could _she_ , the smartest and most perfect of all the hybrids, have been so naïve?

Weiss leaned her head against his chest, giggling with glee as she did. His heartbeat echoed against her once more. "Of course you are."

"Are you okay with that?"

Weiss grinned widely as she stared down at his lower body while her forehead remained pressed against his chest. "I seduced a human."

"What?"

Her head came back up, and she gazed into his eyes once more with unrestrained joy. "I seduced a human," she repeated. "I was your first mate. Before Ruby. You were mine first. As a hybrid, I was able to seduce a human being."

The strange, sour expression on Jaune's face indicated he didn't understand. "So… you're okay with it?"

"Okay?" she asked incredulously. "My whole purpose in existing is to infiltrate human society. Professor Fall taught us that sometimes we will need to be able to seduce humans with our feminine wiles in order to get close to them. I've done it! I've seduced a human to become my mate!"

Jaune's mouth opened and closed a few times like a fish. "Is that really what you're getting out of all this?"

"This proves what I've said is true all along," she continued. "Truly I am the greatest, most talented, and most beautiful of all of my kin." Her hands came up to his chest, rubbing his strong, toned muscles affectionately. "I've seduced you and made you mine. I've passed the most difficult test any hybrid must complete. I've been able to make a human fall for me."

Without warning she took him in her arms, hugging him tightly and pressing her face into his chest once more. She laughed. It was hysterical. Her very existence was validated. She had purpose. Meaning. She could accomplish what Salem had made her for.

She could bring death and ruin to humanity. To the faunus. To her new friend Velvet. To her mate Jaune. To her sister Winter.

Moisture welled in her eyes as they pressed against Jaune's bare flesh. Wetness not from the water of the shower.

"I can destroy you all," she whispered. Laughter turned to shuddering breaths a moment later. "I can destroy you all," she repeated, squeezing her eyes closed even as liquid dripped from them. "Jaune… I don't want to destroy you…"

His arms were around her in a heartbeat, and like he had done for her in the library, he held her impossibly close to him. One hand rubbed her back while another stroked her hair. This human, this mortal enemy of hers that she was supposed to destroy, loved her.

And she loved him.

"I have a sister…" she sobbed into his chest. "I have a human sister… I have a human mate… I… I… I don't wanna… destroy you…"

Jaune's lips pressed down on the top of her head. "Then don't," he whispered gently. "You don't have to. None of you do. You can be human too. I promise, you can be human too…"

Be human too. Be weak. Soft. Ignorant. Scared. That was what it meant to be human.

Images of her sister flashed in her mind's eye. Proud. Strong. Beautiful.

Jaune, a human, held her tight. Brave. Loving. Warm. Safe.

Soft. Strong. Scared. Brave. The words she was taught about humans clashed with those she had experienced for herself. Jaune and Winter were both human. Both were the opposite of everything she believed humans to be. What were they? What was she? Who was she?

Was she Weiss? Or was she Weiss Schnee?

"I love you," he spoke into her hair. "And Winter does too. You can be more than what you were made for. You can fight it. You're a fighter, Weiss. You always have been. Winter and me will help you. I know she will. You're her sister."

Human. This human loved her. Winter loved her too. She wasn't alone anymore. She didn't have to be alone. She had those around her who cared. Ruby cared too. Hybrids and humans alike cared. She had a pack. She had a family.

"I love you too," she whispered back to him.

She would very much like to be able to keep those things. To not destroy the ones she held dear. To not have to be alone ever again.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey, have you ever wanted to read smut of Jaune and hybrid Blake? Well now you can, because I was commissioned to write a story about it called **Tamed Horrors**! So if you're interested, head over to my profile and check it out!

So this was the longest chapter of the story yet. Sorry for not getting it out last week and leaving you all hanging, but my body decided to get sick again for the third time in the span of a month. That's unprecedented for me. But now I feel all better and will hopefully be able to keep writing with no further issues.

For those who were concerned that Weiss was becoming little more than comedy relief with her porn obsession, I hope this makes up for that. This was always the plan for her, but her comedic side is also just really fun to write. However at her core, just like in canon, she's a lonely girl on the inside who needs love and affection. Her arrogance is nothing more than a facade to mask her pain and loneliness. Now that she has people, humans, willing to give her love, how will that affect her loyalty to Salem? I think we're starting to see how.

Plenty more fallout to come next chapter. What's Winter thinking? How will this wild Grimm attack be explained? That and much more will be covered! I hope to see you all back here for the next chapter!

My thanks go out to **Burkion** for his aid in writing this chapter. And of course, my thanks go out to all of you for your continued support. I hope you enjoyed this update.


	31. Chapter 31

Winter Schnee had not slept that night.

How could she? More than simply losing sleep, how could her outlook on life ever be the same after what she had witnessed last night?

They say that a lack of sleep did things to the body and to the mind. You heard and saw things that weren't there. However, Winter knew for certain what she had seen last night. Even in the moonlit darkness, she knew what she had faced. What her dear sister had become. What Weiss _was._

A monster.

The word was etched in her mind even as she brought a shaky hand up to sip on her morning coffee. She needed to liquid caffeine running through her veins to even operate right now. As much as she wanted to return to her quarters and fall asleep, hopefully to wake up from this waking nightmare, she knew she couldn't. She had to discuss what had happened with someone. There was only one person she could even fathom sharing this information with.

She owed him the same courtesy he had once shown her.

Said man arrived to the small coffee shop down in Vale. The Brew Moon Café was a charming little place that Winter might have enjoyed had circumstances been different. For now, however, she would merely take advantage of the outdoor patio seating so that she and her guest would be able to speak candidly. Away from prying ears. Away from huntsmen. Away from any kind of authority figures from an academy who might be listening in to their sensitive conversation.

"You're late," Winter growled. Unsurprising for a drunk, but even she was hard-pressed to believe the man was drinking at nine in the morning.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you'd mind if I was…" Qrow started before fishing his scroll from his pocket. "Three minutes late." The man chuckled in that annoying, gruff tone of his. "Guess you finally decided to give me the time of day, huh? I apologize for being late for our date."

"Shut up," she snapped. A harsh breath shot through her nose. "This isn't a date."

"Relax, Ice Queen," he said, sliding the chair across from her out to take a seat at their table. The man settled in, his hands coming to rest on the table as those tiny red eyes of his bored into her. "And I don't mean to sound rude here, but you look awful. Did you not get enough sleep last night or something?"

She hadn't. Winter knew she must have had monstrous bags under her eyes. Her hair was probably a disheveled mess. Had it not been for her Aura being regenerated by Jaune, she might have looked far worse than she did right now.

Jaune. Just who was that boy? _What_ was that boy? Was he another lost child like Weiss was? Or was he somehow in control and in command of her as well as Qrow's nieces? Too many questions, and not enough answers…

"So why'd you call me down here?" Qrow continued. "I'm sure it wasn't for my charming personality. I'm the last guy you'd want to have coffee with."

At least he wasn't drunk. Qrow clearly had enough sense about him to remember that despite what some people might think, she despised him. She despised everything about him. His rude behavior. His cocky attitude. His complete lack of respect for authority. And most of all, his weak, pathetic addiction to alcohol. The substance stirred thoughts and emotions of her childhood to the forefront of the Specialist's mind, but she had to cast them out. Right now was not the time to think about home. Now was all about Weiss.

"I called you here to discuss what happened last night during the dance," Winter explained. "More specifically, the… Grimm attack that was reported as having happened on campus."

Qrow leaned back in his chair, locking his fingers behind his head casually. "Yeah, I heard about that. Couple kids got a bit roughed up, but thanks to their Aura the worst they walked away with was just being a little spooked." A soft laugh shot through his lips. "Probably one of Peter's pets that got loose while he's out on that training exercise with Team CFVY. I really should go to his little menagerie later today and put all the beasts down."

"Don't you dare!" Winter snapped.

The outburst took Qrow aback, who even now eyed her with a curious expression. "You okay, Winter?"

No. No she wasn't. Still, it wasn't befitting of both an Atlesian Specialist nor a Schnee to have a public outburst like that. The woman composed herself the best she could before continuing. "Nothing," she said with a soft shake of her head. "It's nothing. Forget about it."

He didn't. A look of genuine concern crossed his face. Utterly alien to anything she'd ever seen from the man before. "Winter, I can tell something's going on. We may not be close, but I know you well enough to know that this type of behavior isn't you. Something happened, otherwise you wouldn't have called me. If there's something on your mind, you can trust me to be discreet."

He'd better be. Drunks tended to have loose lips. She was taking a huge gamble in telling the man what she knew. However, since it involved his family as well, she trusted that this information would not find its way to anyone else's ears.

"Qrow. You once asked me to trust you. To take a leap of faith when you told me that Weiss was alive. Will you do the same for me?"

To his credit, Qrow didn't smirk or laugh off her serious question. He nodded, stone-faced as he stared into her eyes. "Yes. Of course."

"I can't trust this information with anyone else. Only with you. And you have to promise me that you won't tell Ozpin about it. Can you do that for me?"

He nodded again. "Yeah, sure."

"Promise me Qrow," she insisted. "Right here and now. Give me your word or else I'm walking away."

The man's hands rose in an attempt to placate her. "Easy there, Winter. Okay, okay. You have my word. I promise whatever you're about to tell me will stay between us. Not a word of it will get to Ozpin. Better?"

This time it was Winter who nodded. It was as good as she was going to get without having one of the Schnee Dust Company lawyers writing up a legally binding contract. She would simply have to trust Qrow's word and his honor. If he had a shred of that left, it would be tested when it came to her family. When it came to his family as well.

"The Grimm," she began, not quite knowing how to broach the subject. To admit to the truth. "The one from last night. I saw it."

Qrow quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? So you were the one to put it down, I take it. What kind was it that it gave two students such a rough time? Alpha Beowolf? Boarbatusk? Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if Peter was keeping a whole freaking King Taijitu locked up somewhere in that dungeon of his."

Winter shook her head. Her next words came out as a whisper. "It was Weiss…"

Qrow's eyes narrowed again. He leaned in closer. "What was that?"

"It was _Weiss!_ " she repeated, harsher in tone, but just as soft.

The man leaned back, his eyes never leaving hers even as they narrowed in suspicion. "Winter… are you okay? You look really tired. If you need to go back and get some sleep before we talk…"

"She's a monster, Qrow," she said, ignoring his suggestion. Her words were as shaky as her breath. "A monster. I saw it. I saw it with my very eyes. The way her skin paled until it was white as bone. Her eyes melting into pools of blood. The black veins twisting across her beautiful skin… I saw it. She's a beast, Qrow. She's a Grimm. Oh gods… the horn." Her hand rose to rest above her right breast. "She impaled me with her horn… but she didn't try to finish me off and I don't know why. And then the boy, Jaune, started to heal me and-!"

"Winter!" He gripped her arm before quieting his voice again. "You're not making any sense."

"None of this makes sense!" she snapped. She didn't care right now if anyone else in the patio heard her outburst. They wouldn't know what she was talking about. "My sister, my sweet, innocent sister, is a monster. And if she is… Qrow. If she's a monster, I fear that your nieces might be as well."

The tension in the air was palpable. Winter's body was shaking. Whether it was from the lack of sleep or the fear which coursed through her veins, she couldn't say. She could only imagine how frazzled, how frightened she appeared to the seasoned huntsman across from her. Right now, however, her appearance didn't matter to her. Only the truth did.

"I thought… that if I could force her to reveal her Semblance, that it would prove beyond a doubt that she was a Schnee. That it would give me reason to take her back to Atlas, by force if necessary, to reunite her with her family. No one could protest if she had the Schnee family Semblance. But I hadn't counted on her being a monster, Qrow. I couldn't have imagined…" she trailed off.

"What did you say she looked like again?" he asked softly.

She couldn't meet his gaze anymore. Winter closed her eyes, recalling the sights from the previous night. Remembering how her sister's beautiful face melted away into that of a beast's. One that she'd scarred with her own saber… "Her skin turned white as her hair. Her eyes went from a beautiful Schnee blue to red as blood. Her body was covered in black veins. And out of her forehead… a horn. It sprouted like a tree from the ground. A horn, Qrow. A real horn. Sullying the perfect face of my dear, sweet sister…"

Winter's eyes squeezed so tightly that tears welled up in them. Twin trails dripped down her cheeks, a shuddering breath escaping her lips as she exhaled. The imagery of Weiss twisting into a monster would be forever burned into her memory. She could only hope that Jaune had found her. That he'd done something to save her. To cure her.

She hadn't attempted to make contact since last night. She was too scared. She doubted that they would have even agreed to see her even if she had made the effort to find them.

"Salem…" she heard Qrow mutter softly.

Icy eyes snapped open to regard the man across from her. "What?"

"Salem," he repeated. "What you saw… sounds like something Ozpin once told me. Or rather, someone he told me about."

"Who?" she pressed. "Who is Sa-"

 _My family is Salem alone._

Weiss' words, some of the last she'd spoken before Winter had succumbed to unconsciousness, rang in her mind. Winter's face fell.

"Winter?" Qrow asked. "What's wrong?"

"Weiss said that name. Last night. She called Salem… her family."

Qrow released a harsh breath. "Shit."

"What does that mean, Qrow? Who is Salem? If you know something you have to tell me."

The man nodded solemnly. "I know a lot of things, Winter. Things that I've been sworn to secrecy to, just as you did with me."

Despite her tired state, a surge of anger coursed through Winter's veins. It gave her newfound strength she didn't realize she still had this morning. "If you're even thinking of keeping what you know from me I'll have you imprisoned and tortured until you speak."

Qrow raised his hands again. "Easy, Winter. You don't need to go that far. Just calm down."

Being calm was impossible right now. Not after what she'd witnessed. Not after finding out that she and Qrow had different pieces to the same puzzle. She'd shared hers with him. It was time for him to return the favor.

"Speak," she ordered.

"There's a lot you need to know," he said, standing up from his seat. Winter was about to explode once more, but he urged her to stand as well. "Things best not said in a crowd. Even if these people will have no clue about what we're talking about, what I'm about to say to you is confidential. Bigger than any military secret you might have been let in on in Atlas."

Winter stood, the rest of her coffee going unfinished. However, her interest in her drink was nothing compared to what she anticipated hearing from the veteran huntsman.

"Then walk with me," she urged. "And speak candidly."

"I will," he agreed. "Because if what you said about Weiss is correct, then I fear… I fear it may be true about Yang and Ruby as well. Even that Jaune kid. We have to assume that they're all as you said. Monsters…"

That was one rare thing she could agree on with the man. They would err on the side of caution. Absolute caution. No one could possibly know what they did. No one else would understand. No one else would care. Not Beacon's faculty. Not Ozpin. Not even General Ironwood. To all of them, the monsters beneath human flesh might just be other Grimm. To herself and Qrow, however, they were still family.

And only family could possibly be trusted with the secrets which they were now privy to.

Leaving a few lien notes for her drink, Winter and Qrow set out from the coffee shop and onto Vale's streets. They walked side by side, a grim parody of what a loving couple might look like on a morning stroll after just having enjoyed coffee together.

"Salem," he began. It sounded to her like he didn't even know where to begin. "Well, you see, Winter. The Grimm. They aren't just mindless beasts. They aren't some wild, uncontrollable force of nature. They aren't random. They have a leader. They have a queen. And her name is Salem."

* * *

The previous night had been traumatic. Following Weiss' rescue and recovery, she had opted to go straight to bed. She had been exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Jaune had been drained as well. Both had agreed that anything that needed to be said could wait until morning. They would be okay until then. Weiss had proven to be stable enough, and was apparently okay with Jaune being human. The fact that she'd taken her normal place at his side in bed was proof enough of that.

Now that morning had come, however, everyone was wide awake. Everyone was eager to clear the air. Ready to lay all their cards on the table and be honest with one another. With a night to sleep on it, Jaune didn't know if Weiss' mind might have changed about anything. The fact that he was still breathing was a good sign, seeing Weiss seated on the bed across from his was different. Especially because he had Ruby sitting next to him on their shared bed.

Only moments ago Weiss had chased Yang from the room by loudly proclaiming that she was about to have sex with Jaune this morning. To Jaune's surprise, and admittedly, disappointment, that hadn't come to pass. He could only guess that Weiss wanted to get the one remaining hybrid who didn't know his secret out of the room so that they could discuss it openly. The fact that she sat across from him so she could look him in the eyes was another hint.

Seconds passed by, and the tension in the room grew. Someone had to break it. Jaune decided it would be him. "So…"

"You knew all along, didn't you?" Weiss asked abruptly, bypassing Jaune's attempt to get things started, and instead focusing on Ruby.

Jaune's focused on the redheaded girl next to him as he turned his neck to see her. Ruby's shoulders shifted and squirmed a bit, uneasy about the accusation leveled at her.

"Not all along," she admitted meekly. "Blake's the one who knew all along…"

And the one who was best at keeping secrets. It suited her. A girl who lived in the shadows. Hunted in the shadows. Even here at Beacon, her presence was never made apparent until it was too late. He didn't know where the elusive hybrid had made her lair. Every time Jaune had checked underneath his bed there was no sign of the girl. The fact that she didn't have a favorite sleeping spot like she had back in Salem's realm scared Jaune. Familiarity and routine were comforting. Here, Blake offered him neither.

Weiss' arms folded across her chest, head turning to look away in disgust. "As if I didn't need more reasons to distrust her."

"You should trust her though," Jaune argued. "She kept my secret. Ruby has too. The question is… will you, Weiss?"

Her attention snapped back to him in a flash, the anger etched on her face still present even as she looked at him. "Of course I will! Do you think me incapable of keeping a secret?"

"You do talk a lot…" Ruby muttered.

"I speak when I have something to say, not when I have to say something," she argued back. Jaune wasn't sure he would agree with that, but bit his tongue. "And speaking of secrets," she continued, refocusing on Jaune. "How long were you planning on keeping this a secret, exactly?"

Jaune didn't have an answer to that question. It wasn't like he had planned on telling her. He hadn't planned on telling Ruby. He hadn't even told Blake at all. Both of the times he had confessed his true nature to the hybrid girls had come in times of crisis. First when he believed he was near-death at the hands of Cardin. Then as a way to show Weiss that humans, including her sister, were not bad. That they could and would accept her for what she was. To give her comfort and peace of mind.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"We're mates, are we not?" she asked, standing from her seat on the bed. "We're a pack. All of us." Weiss took a few steps over to where he and Ruby sat, her hands drifting up to her hips as she looked down on them. "We're a pack… and you kept this from me…"

She was hurt. That much was obvious in both her words and her tone. Jaune didn't know if she would have felt similarly without her Aura. Without unlocking that part of her that made her more human. In a way it was good that she was hurt. It meant she had empathy. She could feel human emotions that weren't inherently negative. She could feel genuine love and hurt. Their relationship wasn't about mating or producing strong hybrid offspring anymore. Weiss… cared for him. Just as he did for her.

Jaune stood up, closing the last of the distance between them and wrapping Weiss in his arms. "I'm sorry, Weiss," he whispered, burying his face into a head of snow-white hair. It smelled of the shampoo he had worked into it last night. "Can you forgive me?"

When he felt the girl's arms wrap around his waist he knew in an instant that she had. Even if her words told a different story from her actions. "You have a lot of making up to do," she said, speaking the words into his chest. "I expect… delicious meals for a week. Three times a day."

"That's fine," Jaune smiled, grinning into the top of her head. "I can do that."

"A-and a night alone with you! Exclusive rights for one night!" she hurriedly followed up.

Jaune chuckled. "Yeah. That's fine too. I owe you an apology, after all."

"Yes you do," she huffed.

Jaune felt something butting against his left arm. Lifting his face from Weiss' hair, he saw Ruby to his left, pushing her head against the arm he had wrapped around Weiss.

"C-can I get in on this too?" she asked, giving him the saddest, most intentional pout he'd ever seen in his life. "We're a pack, right?"

He laughed again, and threw open his left arm to welcome Ruby into the embrace. "We are. Get in here."

Ruby eagerly joined in, wrapping an arm around Jaune and Weiss each. Weiss growled at first, but quickly moved so that her own right arm had gone around Ruby's back rather than Jaune's body. The three stood there in one big group hug for long seconds, standing as equals now. No secrets between them. All knowing about Jaune's nature. All knowing in their own way that Salem's plan was wrong.

When they came apart there was a smile on Weiss' face. She wore it far better than an angry scowl. Ruby of course was beaming, happy as can be that all was right and well in their pack. That her hybrid sister had accepted Jaune for who and what he was just as she had. It only left one person in the dark now.

"So what do we do about Yang?" he asked the pair.

Moving back to the bed, Jaune sat atop the mattress, with Ruby returning to her seat on his left, and Weiss now taking one on his right. Things were back to normal now. At least until the Yang situation needed to be resolved…

"So Blake knew for a time before Ruby knew," Weiss mused.

"Yup," he confirmed.

"And Ruby knew for a time before me."

Jaune nodded wordlessly.

Weiss harrumphed. "Then I think it's only fair that I get to know this information for a set period of time before we tell Yang," she argued. "I deserve an opportunity to be able to craft witty one-liners to the girl where I suggest that I know something she does not, but refuse to tell her what."

Jaune rolled his eyes. Of course that's the first thing that would come to her mind. That kind of response was just so… Weiss.

"Weiss, it's not a competition," he pointed out.

"Well it should be!" she insisted. "And I would win it too!"

"Actually wouldn't you come in like… third place?" Ruby corrected her.

Weiss scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, Ruby. Didn't you pay attention to the fable of the turtle and the rabbit? It doesn't matter who comes in first, only who eats the other last."

Jaune bit down on his lip to stifle the grin from taking over his face. Speaking of being so Weiss… as usual she managed to say something profound, only to screw it up with her own hybrid logic in the end. It was quite frankly charming. Something about her that he never wanted to change.

Apparently his reaction had been easy to read, as Weiss' eyes narrowed on him before she spoke accusingly at him. "Did I say something amusing?" she asked, like a wife asking her husband that very question during a marital argument.

Jaune chuckled before wrapping an arm around her body and pulling her close. He planted a kiss on the top of her head. "Gods, I love you," he answered instead.

Being quite used to his situation by now, his left arm pulled Ruby close where he gave her the same treatment. "And I love you too," he told the other hybrid as he kissed her.

Arms clutched around him, and Jaune sighed contently. It was the little moments like this that gave him sanity. They gave him strength. They gave him the will to go on with this struggle. It was all for them. For his girls. His mates. His pack. His family.

The door clicked, and Jaune's head shot up to see Yang return to the dorm. He was surprised that she would come back so soon after Weiss' earlier proclamation. Only… it wasn't a head of long blonde hair that stepped through into the room.

Instead it was long and black. A pair of golden eyes burned with such intensity that Jaune could swear that they were literally ablaze. In an instant the peace and joy he felt had turned to ash.

"What. Happened," she spoke dangerously as the door shut behind her. The expression on her face and the tone of her voice told a story of anger and punishment coming his way should he say anything to displease her.

Jaune stood, hoping that speaking to the woman face to face and eye to eye would be deemed more respectful. "What are you talking about?"

Cinder took a step forward, causing Jaune to instinctively take one back. "Apparently, the rumor going around campus is that there was a Grimm attack last night during the dance." Her eyes continued drilling holes into his, and Jaune could now see there was very real fire glowing in them. "Here, in one of the most secure and fortified places in all of Remnant." Her head turned, and Jaune saw how her focus passed over both the seated hybrids. "Would you care to explain to me how that _possibly_ could have taken place?"

Ruby turned her head to avoid the woman's gaze. Weiss shrunk in on herself, ashamed and embarrassed that her actions were the cause of this outburst. Knowing that she was to blame.

Cinder knew. He knew she knew. One of the hybrids getting loose really was the only logical explanation to those who were in the know about what they truly were. Playing dumb here wasn't an option. Denying it would be a foolish move against the angry henchwoman of Salem. All Jaune could possibly do now was limit the damage.

To protect the innocent.

"I unlocked Weiss' Aura," he lied. "At the dance last night. It… didn't go smoothly at the beginning."

A long breath slipped through Cinder's nostrils before she inhaled with anger once more. "You idiot. You absolute and utter idiot. What were you _thinking!_ Did you learn nothing from what happened to Yang?"

He learned, all right. He learned how to bring Weiss back from the brink of insanity. He also learned a valuable piece of information that not even Cinder was privy to. Winter Schnee knew her sister's secret now. And considering that they hadn't been dragged from their beds by professional huntsmen and Atlesian soldiers, he assumed that the woman had kept that secret to herself.

"I did what I had to do," he continued to lie. "She needed Aura for the tournament."

"You're a damn _fool!_ " she shouted, one of her hands igniting with the same fire that blazed in her eyes. Her other hand gripped him harshly by the shirt. "I should kill you right here and now…"

Angry snarls brought both Jaune and Cinder's attention to their sides.

With teeth barred and eyes narrowed dangerously, Ruby and Weiss had both stood up from their spots on the bed. Before his very eyes he saw their skin pale until it had turned a pristine white. Horns jutted from their foreheads, and eyes shifted to a crimson color which foretold of the blood about to be spilled.

Both sets of glowing red orbs were locked onto the woman threatening their mate. Ruby moved to the left closer toward Jaune, while Weiss slowly began to circle around behind Cinder's back. Jaune held his breath at the chaos which threatened to erupt in the tiny room.

"Stand down," Cinder ordered the hybrids. Animalistic growls were her only response. The fire in her hand grew in both size and intensity. "I said stand down!"

They did not. Jaune didn't know how far gone Ruby and Weiss were, but one thing was for certain. They did not take orders from Cinder Fall any longer. Not when it concerned his safety. Or in this case, his lack thereof.

Cinder, for all her stubbornness, refused to stand down as well. Whatever power she possessed was immense, and she was confident in it and her ability to take on two hybrids at once. "I'm warning you…"

Even as Cinder's head twisted all around to eye the two stalking hybrids, Jaune's eyes widened at the new sight entering his vision. Like a pair of spiders dropping down from the ceiling on their web strings, two barbed tentacles slowly descended down above Cinder's head. To slither around her neck. To not make so much as a single touch until they'd wrapped themselves threateningly around the soft, vulnerable throat of the older human woman.

In an instant Cinder froze, recognizing the feeling of something constricting around her neck. Not tightly, but lazily hanging in place ready to squeeze at a moment's notice.

"Blake…" Cinder hissed softly. "What in the world are you doing here?"

The barbed tip traced a line across the woman's throat. Jaune saw how Cinder visibly swallowed, but otherwise showed no sign of fear on her face. However, a creature like Blake didn't need to _see_ fear in order to know it was there. Cinder must have been giving off quite a pleasant aroma to the twisted hybrid who clung to the ceiling above her.

"What I wish," Blake answered cryptically.

"No. You will do as _I_ say," the woman stated through gritted teeth. " _I_ am in command of this operation. And you're not even supposed to be here."

Blake laughed. "How can one command those outside their authority?"

Jaune had to admit, as psychotic as Blake was, her logic was impeccable. Even more impressive considering the tense standoff that it was taking place in.

"If you so much as draw a single drop of blood…" Cinder warned.

"I thought," Blake whispered from above, "That we were to slaughter all humans, were we not?"

Cinder's eyes shut as she spoke again. "I am _not_ one of the humans you are supposed to cross. When Salem learns of this…"

"Salem isn't here."

"Not. Yet," she spoke threateningly.

For long seconds the quartet remained locked in battle-ready positions. With Jaune and Ruby in front of her, Blake above her, and Weiss behind her, even Cinder knew she had to be in over her head, right? Or would her pride truly make her blind to the peril she found herself in?

Thankfully discretion seemed to be the better part of valor for his former professor, and Cinder extinguished the flame in her hand. Her eyes opened to reveal a pair of amber orbs, rather than the fiery coals which had burned only seconds before. "Release me."

Jaune's eyes darted above him for a second before returning to Cinder's neck. Blake, like Ruby and Weiss, had not obeyed.

"Release. Me," she ordered more deliberately.

Again, Blake did not. Jaune realized that just like with the others, Blake must have been waiting on his own command. But if that didn't work, if Blake took orders from nobody but herself, Jaune didn't know what he would do.

"Blake, it's okay," he said at last. "Let her go."

Dark giggling sounded above him. "As you wish."

The tentacles removed themselves from Cinder's throat, and the woman took a step back as she relinquished her hold on Jaune's shirt. She, along with Jaune, peered above them to see a familiar tendrilled hybrid above them. An unasked question burned in her glare, surprise evident on the woman's face. She did not waste her words.

An upside down grin was all Cinder would receive as a response. No longer their professor, she had no authority over the hybrids here in the human kingdoms. Salem might have, but Cinder certainly did not. No, if anything, the only person who stood a chance of commanding Blake and the others here was Jaune himself.

He wondered if Cinder herself realized that in this moment.

Cinder took another two steps back, and she was coolly brushing any wrinkles from her Haven Academy uniform. Eyes focused on Jaune once more as she spoke again. "Do not allow this to happen again," she warned him. "Keep them in line or your life is over. This is not a threat. It is simply reality."

Without waiting for a response Cinder strode from the room, allowing the door to slam behind her. Jaune released a breath he hadn't known he had been holding in.

He glanced around, and Ruby and Weiss were still staring at the door the woman had just exited through. Tension was still in the air. He could see on their flesh that their muscles were tense as well. "It's okay, girls," he said soothingly. "Calm down. It's over. It's over."

Two sets of glowing red eyes focused on him as both girls turned to face him. It had been a while since he'd seen Ruby's Grimm form. Since he'd seen those uneven horns and gnarled black arm. Jaune moved over to her, leaning in to rest his forehead against hers just below where her horns had sprouted. "It's okay. She didn't hurt me."

He felt the girl nod, moving his head slightly along with hers. "I'd have torn her apart," she whispered. "If she burned a single hair on your head… I would kill her."

Jaune had no doubt that she meant it too. He'd seen Ruby rip Cardin in half with her scythe for trying to kill him. "I know. I know." He shifted to kiss her forehead.

A familiar poking, one he hadn't felt in weeks, jabbed him in the back. Turning he saw Weiss with her own head lowered, prodding at him with her horn. It reminded him of the good old days back in Salem's realm. If one could possibly call those days good. Then again, it had been where he'd met Ruby and Weiss. Blake and Yang. For all the suffering and torment he'd gone through, it was all worth it to meet them. And to have the opportunity to rescue them from what they'd been turned into.

Jaune knew what Weiss wanted, and he enveloped her in a hug before kissing her on her forehead as well. What Ruby got, Weiss got. It was the way of the world. At least the way of his world.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Blake drop down from the ceiling. By the time she stood up to her full height she was already in her human guise. One wearing the outfit of a Haven Academy student. "I find that I do prefer this black uniform over the others. It suits me, don't you agree, Jaune?"

The hybrid girl daintily pinched the hem of her skirt with her thumbs and forefingers, and even performed a graceful twirl in the middle of the room which was perhaps the most unfitting thing he'd ever seen from her. All part of a sweet and innocent act of hers, Jaune had no doubt.

However, the complete lack of color in the uniform did indeed suit her. With black hair, clad in black clothing, and smooth, pallid skin even in her human form, Blake was almost entirely without color. Only her piercing golden eyes shone on a body that resembled that of a ghostly apparition haunting the shadows.

The comparison wasn't far from the truth.

"Beautiful," he deadpanned to the girl in response. Her smile told Jaune that she either didn't pick up on his sarcasm, or that she simply didn't care. "Blake. Do you think it was a good idea to provoke her like that?"

The dark beauty smiled as she took a few sauntering steps over to where he and Weiss stood. "What will she do? Drag me back to Salem?" Blake shook her head, and brought up a wrist before tapping on it with her other hand. "No. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock."

"What does that mean?"

"It means," she purred, stepping in close to him. Ignoring Weiss' scowl. "She doesn't have ti-ime~" The singsong melody Blake spoke the words with was childlike. Mocking. "I learned many things in the White Fang. One such lesson was that plans are delicate things. They don't like distractions."

"So Cinder won't have time to deal with you?" he guessed. "If she wants to stick to whatever she's doing here at Beacon."

"Mmhmm. And she doesn't know that I knoooow~" she sang again.

What exactly it was that Blake knew, Jaune _didn't_ know yet. After all, he still had his end of the bargain to keep. More specifically, to keep Sun away from the shadowy hybrid.

"Can you give me a hint?" he asked. Jaune just wanted something. Anything. Any sort of edge against the woman who had just threatened his life. "Please?"

Blake giggled girlishly, bringing a palm up to his chest. "Begging doesn't suit you, darling. Not the behavior of an Alpha…"

"He _is_ an Alpha," Weiss insisted.

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed. A rare agreement between the two.

Blake's head swayed fluidly as she looked between her fellow hybrids, as if she was moving to a melody that only she could hear. "A hint," she mused. "Very well. I do _so_ enjoy stringing you along…"

Jaune braced himself for whatever Blake was about to tell him. He cleared his mind, preparing it for the mental gymnastics he would need to perform in order to understand the hybrid's twisted logic.

Blake leaned up against him, standing on the tips of her toes and using his shoulder for balance, as she brought her lips to his ear to whisper her clue into it.

And coughed.

Jaune's body reacted instinctively as he recoiled from the noise. A glance down at Blake showed a wide, satisfied grin revealing white, human teeth.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Your hint," she answered smugly. The smirk fell from her lips a second later, being replaced by an obviously forced pout. "Don't worry. I'm not contagious."

Without another word Blake spun on her heel and strode to the door, opening it and leaving without so much as looking back. Jaune was left with nothing to go on. She'd coughed into his ear. Was she just messing with him? Entirely possibly for the girl. Probable even.

Or had she been trying to give him some sort of clue? Coughing? Contagious? Sick? Was Cinder planning on spreading some sort of disease at the school? Biological warfare? It would certainly weaken the defenses of the kingdom if huntsmen were ill, and even dead. A plague would spread panic throughout the population. Vale would be ripe for a Grimm attack should disease hit it.

"We should take you to the nurse's office," Weiss stated, breaking the silence. "Just in case she _did_ give you something."

"We should probably be getting ready for class," he argued.

"Weiss is right," Ruby seconded. "The nurse. You won't be killed or sent out into the Grimmlands to be culled here."

Jaune remembered _that_ incident all too well. How he'd feigned illness and nearly died as a result. Where Tyrian had very nearly gotten him killed by forcing him to walk back to Salem's academy in order to prove his strength.

He had indeed become stronger. He'd unlocked both his Aura and Semblance. He wouldn't be where he was today without that near-death experience, loathe as he was to admit it.

"What if Blake gave you… the Red Pox?" Ruby gasped. "We need to get you checked out for Red Pox!"

"Red Pox?" Jaune questioned.

"Or Kruts!" Weiss continued.

What even _were_ these diseases they were naming? Jaune had never heard of either. His stomach dropped, and he wondered if there were new and terrible plagues that Salem had engineered just waiting to be released upon the world of man.

"Creeping Buboes?" Ruby asked.

"Purple brain fever!"

Jaune's eyes widened. "These… these aren't real things, right?"

Twin sets of red eyes focused on him. "Jaune. Don't panic," Ruby said cautiously. "But I'm going to need to check you for boils and inflammation." Her clawed fingers were up, wriggling like she was some sort of sadistic doctor who needed to perform a physical examination. "Just hold still, okay?"

The boy swallowed. "Ruby, that's really not necessary. I feel fine. I don't feel anything!"

"Numbness," Weiss frowned. "Not a good sign."

Ruby nodded. "Hold him down, Weiss."

Jaune yelped, barely getting it out before Weiss tackled him, and along with Ruby, began stripping him of his clothes.

* * *

As one of Ozpin's top field agents, Qrow was used to dealing with the man one on one. He was used to sharing his findings with the man. After what Winter had told him earlier today, however, he knew that this kind of honesty was no longer readily available.

Standing in Ozpin's office, the rotating cogs which decorated the room reflected Qrow's own mind right now. Internally spinning, wondering what he was going to say. Or rather, what he wasn't going to say. To learn that Weiss, and with all probability, Yang and Ruby were monsters. Some sort of fusion of both human and Grimm. Minions of Salem herself.

The thought of his girls resembling anything like what Winter had described made his stomach churn. He knew that despite his loyalty to Ozpin the man couldn't know what had become of his family. Not until he knew more. Not until he could accurately predict how the ancient being would react.

Winter stood alongside him, standing straight and tall at attention, though not for Ozpin's benefit. No, to the old wizard's left stood General James 'Jimmy' Ironwood himself. Like Ozpin was for Qrow, he was a man who Winter owed her unyielding allegiance and honesty to. Words that sounded so pretty when spoken or on paper, but when faced with the harsh realities of life were often cast aside without a second thought. The fact that this situation had allowed Specialist Winter Schnee of all people to conspire to withhold information from her superior officer spoke of just how dire it was.

The fifth and final person in the room spoke, opening up the dialogue between five of the most knowledgeable and powerful people in all of Remnant. Deputy Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch slowly paced round the room with her arms folded across her chest. "We had an exciting evening last night," she spoke evenly. "And I'm not talking about just the dance."

Qrow hummed softly. They'd all been briefed on the incident concerning the Grimm attack in the late hours of the previous night. Here and now, however, in the mid-afternoon the members of Ozpin's inner circle had gathered to discuss it along with other more pressing matters in person.

"Your initial report claims you saw it, did you not, Specialist Schnee?" Glynda asked her female counterpart.

The question caused Winter's attention to snap over to her. "Yes. It was a Boarbatusk, and a large one at that. It attacked me briefly before running off. I gave pursuit, but by the time I caught up with it the beast had been dealt with by students."

"A Boarbatusk?" Glynda asked. "Eyewitness accounts from the two students that were attacked say differently. While they didn't get a clear look at it in the darkness, they claim it was bipedal. That it attacked them with a large horn."

"A tusk, more likely," Winter amended. Qrow could hardly believe his ears. Winter, as straight-laced a soldier as had ever walked the face of Remnant, was lying through her teeth. He couldn't blame her. He would do the same. He in fact likely would be in only a matter of seconds. "One capable of causing the piercing damage we found on the boy's tuxedo."

"A tusk, yes," Glynda agreed. "But a Boarbatusk standing on its hind legs? Are you sure your report is accurate?"

"My subordinate has no reason to report inaccurately on the matter," James stepped in.

Qrow frowned. Ironwood was vouching for his officer, but that put him at odds with Glynda. By extension, perhaps with Ozpin. This could spiral out of control very easily if Beacon's Deputy Headmistress decided to press the issue too far.

"My report is true and accurate," Winter stated with unwavering authority. "Perhaps it is the _childrens'_ report that is inaccurate. If I remember correctly, _they_ were the ones who found themselves knocked unconscious by the Grimm, and only awoke later when it was already slain."

"Very well," Glynda conceded, though Qrow was uncertain whether the woman believed Winter's words or not. "With that being said, do we have any idea where the Grimm came from? How it was able to get past our defenses and into a school filled with trained and aspiring huntsmen alike?"

Qrow took a step forward to offer his own explanation. "It was probably one of Professor Port's pets. The ones he uses for class demonstrations and exercises. With him being out on his training mission there's been no one to check up on the beasts. It's not only possible, but likely that one of them got loose and decided to wreak a little havoc on campus before it got put down."

"As likely an explanation as any," the General agreed. The man's fleshy hand came up to gently stroke his chin. "Vale's defenses are strong, and with my men's presence here there's no way a Grimm could have snuck into Beacon."

Qrow suppressed the smirk from growing on his lips. As much as Ironwood's pride usually annoyed him, here it was doing them a favor. It was indeed unlikely that an outside Grimm could have penetrated both Vale and Atlas' defenses. No, the only logical explanation was that it came from within. And with their ignorance to what Weiss was, the _only_ explanation could have been that it was one of Port's captured Grimm.

"I went down to his classroom and let myself in to his little Grimm prison," Qrow continued. "I killed them all myself to make sure something like this never happened again."

He had in fact done this. To make sure this cover story was accurate and believable. Plus, no one would ever mourn the loss of a few creatures of darkness.

Unless, of course, those creatures were family…

"It sounds like a fairly open and shut case to me," Ironwood said matter-of-factly. "And a valuable lesson for our students. As future huntsmen they must always be ready to face off against the Grimm, no matter where they are. The moment they let their guard down is the moment they sign their own death warrants."

"Agreed," Winter stated all too readily.

"Spoken like true soldiers…" Glynda sniped.

"With that matter settled," Ozpin spoke, wisely cutting off an argument before it had time to take root. "Qrow. Specialist Schnee. Do you have anything of note to report on our students of interest?"

Now came the real test. An issue that couldn't be explained by a fictional dead creature of Grimm.

"Nothing more out of the ordinary than usual," Qrow commented casually. "From what I've seen dealing with them in class, they're mostly just socially awkward more than anything else."

What he said wasn't _untrue._ But it wasn't the whole truth either. Qrow had left out the part about Weiss at the very least being a monster who believed Salem to be her family.

"They appear the lack certain etiquette when it comes to normal societal customs," Winter added. "For example their… acceptance of polyamorous relationships. It's my opinion that they were raised outside of the kingdoms where such… unorthodox practices may not have been considered taboo."

There was an edge to Winter's voice there when she discussed their relationship status. Qrow knew she didn't approve of her sister sharing a boy with another girl. To be perfectly honest with himself, Qrow didn't exactly approve of it either. Still, if what Winter had told him was true, the teenagers all seemed to genuinely care for one another. And if it was true that they were under the thrall of Salem, maybe they needed each other for support. Maybe they needed each other to survive.

"But no explanation to why they might be hiding their true identities?" Beacon's Headmaster inquired.

"No," Winter lied. "For all of their awkwardness they appear to be normal students. At least as normal as their behavior allows."

Qrow found himself casually nodding in agreement. He forced a frown on his face, as if disappointed that he hadn't learned more about his nieces. An unspoken lie that couldn't be further from the truth.

"How disappointing," Ozpin sighed. "But not unexpected."

"So you believe that they may have been raised outside the kingdoms?" James asked. "Like yourself in the Branwen Tribe?"

Qrow found himself under the scrutinizing glare of Atlas Academy's Headmaster. In that moment Qrow wondered if what he had just said was just one of many reasons why the man didn't like him. James Ironwood, a General and keeper of peace and order. Qrow Branwen, a former bandit sent to Beacon to learn to kill huntsmen. They couldn't be further apart on the spectrum of law and chaos.

"Maybe," Qrow admitted. The fact that they worked for Salem gave Ironwood's question more credibility than the man himself realized. "They seem harmless, but we can't rule out them being a part of a tribe like the Branwens. Ones here to learn how to deal with huntsmen just like my sister and I were."

Qrow was pleased that Ironwood had just given him an out. Another logical explanation behind all of this. Yes, being a part of a band of outlaws here to learn how to kill huntsmen was bad. But it was far better than the truth. Qrow would take the former over the latter any day.

"Then we will continue to observe," Ozpin concluded. "Qrow, Specialist Schnee, continue to give them special focus during your lessons. And use your own experiences to try and gauge their intentions," he added, nodding to former bandit specifically.

Qrow nodded. "Yeah. Can do."

"Very good. Now then, lunchtime will be over soon, and some of you have classes to teach. Carry on."

With their dismissal, Qrow turned to leave, catching sight of Winter saluting General Ironwood before she too spun on a heel to walk beside Qrow.

The two reached the elevator shaft, stepping in and closing the doors before Glynda could even think about joining them. She was probably staying afterward with Ozpin to discuss the previous conversation. He hoped that she believed them.

He heard Winter sigh next to him. Unusual and unbefitting behavior from the prim and proper woman. Qrow tilted his head toward her. "Rough day, huh?"

She hummed noncommittally in response.

Qrow frowned. "If you're feeling bad about lying, don't. We did what we had to do. For our families."

He saw how Winter nodded in agreement, but still said nothing.

"We're going to have to talk to them at some point," he said softly. His gaze fell to the bottom of the elevator as it descended down to the ground level floor. "They know that we know. Or at least that you do. And if they let you live… it doesn't make sense, does it? Why would they allow you to live when you found out their secret?"

"Maybe they're not on Salem's side," Winter said, barely louder than a whisper.

It was optimistic thinking, and Qrow was nothing if not a cynic. Still, he could see where Winter was coming from. Or at least why she would want to believe it. "You told me Weiss said that Salem was her family."

"Maybe not by choice," she argued. Again, the desperate optimism seeped into her voice as she spoke. "Think about it, Qrow. Weiss went missing after her air ship went down. Clearly she was abducted either during or after the crash. Perhaps the same is true about your nieces. Taken against their will and forced to become what they are today. Forced conscription rather than willing servitude."

It was an appealing explanation. One that offered hope. One that clashed with his learned cynicism.

"Still good, just misguided," he offered for the sake of discussion. Not because he truly believed it.

"Exactly. Brainwashed. Something done to affect their minds. Raised from a young age to serve Salem. But…" she trailed off, the positivity in her voice almost infectious. "What if that's not who they truly are deep down? What if they can still be saved? What if that's why Weiss didn't kill me when she had the chance?"

"I never would have pegged you for being such an optimist," he said, finally uttering the words aloud.

Icy eyes stared up into his red ones. "I have no choice in the matter," she stated bitterly. " _We_ have no choice. If we're to rescue our girls we have to consider every possibility. Leave no stone unturned in going about this. Fight, kill, and be willing to lay down our lives for their sakes."

 _Spoken like a true soldier,_ the words of Glynda echoed in his mind. "This just took a dark turn."

"No, it took a realistic turn. We're skirting the line of treason here, Qrow. And if we throw in our lot with minions of Salem, then it is very _real_ treason. I never could have imagined a scenario in which I would even think of betraying General Ironwood's trust." She sighed once more, bringing a gloved hand up to her face and dragging it down. "Until now. If we do this we have to go all in. Nothing and no one will stand in our way. We will risk and sacrifice everything to save the ones we love."

An almost certainty of death. A small chance of success. Qrow smirked. He liked those odds. What were they waiting for?

"Count me in."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of publishing this story. I never could have imagined that it would go on this long. Or that it would have gotten this popular. On page 1 for all RWBY stories for reviews. Page 1 for follows. Page 2 for favorites. This story has somehow become not only my most popular story, but one of _the_ most popular RWBY stories. I can't thank you all enough for this. Really, you guys are awesome. You've given this story and myself so much love and support. There's even a TVTropes page for it! And these things are what keep me going. Your love and support allow me to keep writing on an almost weekly basis. So thank you. Thank you all so very much.

This was a very Qrow and Winter heavy chapter, but it was necessary. They've been impacted the most by the truths that have been revealed. But there's more to come. Someone else is going to learn the truth soon, and it won't be pretty. I won't say who, so you can leave your guesses as to who it might be.

But even with so much Qrow and Winter, the hybrids themselves were a treat to write as always. Loyalties have shifted for sure, as seen with their response to Cinder threatening Jaune. How will this affect things? Only time will tell.

Again, thank you all so very much for your support and your kind words. And my thanks go out to **Burkion** , **Lightningstrxu** , as well as the **Work in Progress** Discord server who've been with me from day one helping in ways both big and small.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reading.


	32. Chapter 32

The end of the day was approaching. A check on his scroll showed that it was nearly four in the afternoon. Professor Port's, or rather, Professor Branwen's class would be over and he would be free to go about the rest of his day.

It seemed surreal after the events of the dance that seemingly nothing had changed. Had they really gotten off that easily?

The bell rang and students all around Jaune stood up to leave. Surrounded by his own teammates, Jaune pressed his palms down onto the desk and forced himself up. Grabbing his belongings he and the girls shuffled toward the aisle that would lead to their escape.

"Mister Arc, I'd like to talk to you for a minute," came the gruff voice of his substitute professor.

So much for that plan. Jaune stopped in his tracks as soon as he'd reached the aisle steps, and chose to turn left to face his professor rather than right to ascend the stairs to the exit.

Qrow Branwen leaned casually against the front of his desk, fingers stuffed in his pants pockets as those small red eyes peered up at him. Jaune was used to staring into dangerous red eyes. It spoke volumes about what he'd endured that Qrow's own muted ones paled in comparison to deadly crimson orbs he'd stared down more times than he'd cared to remember.

With a wordless nod he told Qrow that they'd talk. His teammates stood around him, like a protective cocoon of bodies meant to shield him from harm. The sight made him smile warmly, and he turned to address the hybrids who stood at his side ready to fight with him should it come to that. Not that he thought it would come to that, of course. A fully-armed team of huntsmen would have likely come to apprehend them in the dead of night if Qrow's intent had been hostile.

"I'll be okay," he told the gathered girls, looking them over one by one. Ruby wore a concerned expression on her face, not entirely convinced even with his soothing words. Weiss' eyes were narrowed, suspicious of the human who sought to have alone time with the boy who she'd grown immeasurably closer to in recent days. And Yang… Yang looked angry. Not at all unusual for the blonde-haired girl, but Jaune could perhaps guess why she was upset when it came to Qrow in particular. She didn't exactly harbor fond feelings for the man who was her uncle…

"We'll be right outside," Ruby said softly. Jaune nodded appreciatively. If things went south they'd be able to sense the negativity. They'd burst through the door in a heartbeat to protect their pack mate.

"It shouldn't take long," he guessed. In reality Jaune had no idea what was going to happen or how long it would take, but he didn't want to worry the hybrids. Emotional hybrids were dangerous ones. He couldn't imagine what kind of reaction they'd have if Qrow actually did decide to attack him here and now.

The three hybrids turned right and moved up the stairs toward the door, while Jaune descended down to the classroom floor to stand before Qrow. As the last of the students left the room, the door shut with an audible click, leaving the two men standing in silence.

Silence that Jaune wanted all too much to be banished. "You wanted to talk to me?" he asked, moving the ball into Qrow's court.

The man grunted a humorless laugh. "I think we both know why I asked you to see me today."

Jaune had a feeling that's what it was. Still, he wasn't about to show his cards before Qrow did. "Is it about the latest assignment?"

Qrow snorted a breath. Those beady red eyes bored into him. "I can appreciate your discretion." Pushing himself off of and away from his desk, Qrow began walking and motioned with his head for Jaune to follow. "Come on, kid. Let's go to my office where we'll have some actual privacy to talk about what we need to."

Jaune nodded without a word, and fell in line behind Qrow as they moved up the steps. Even while walking Qrow's hands were in his pockets, giving an air of casual indifference as they neared the door. Jaune knew better than that. He knew that Qrow knew. How couldn't he? It only made sense that he did. Winter knew. Winter was Weiss' sister. Qrow was Ruby and Yang's uncle. She would tell him, considering how close they seemed. It was in both their interests to help their long lost loved ones.

Stepping through the door, Qrow stopped ahead of him. When Jaune too left the classroom he saw why.

Like a pack of wolves, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all stood outside the halls. All in position to surround and isolate whoever came out of the classroom. Qrow just happened to be the one who did, and the man found himself surrounded on all sides by the members of Team AWRY. If he felt threatened by the display he didn't show it. Again, he merely laughed humorlessly.

"Why am I not surprised?" he asked himself. With a soft shake of his head he pushed through the blockade of bodies and moved down the hall. "Come on. All of you."

As they walked to their destination, Jaune was surprised by just how nonchalantly Qrow was acting right now. If he knew that Weiss was some sort of Grimm monster, he most certainly wasn't showing any signs of apprehension or fear. A smart man would guess that the other members of the team were similar beasts, but Qrow was willingly turning his back to them. Did he trust in his own abilities to the point where he didn't fear a sneak attack? Or did he just believe that not even a creature of destruction would be reckless enough to attack him in the middle of a huntsman academy in broad daylight?

Words weren't exchanged on the walk, and in a couple of minutes they reached their professor's office. Turning around to finally regard the team again, Qrow's eyes passed over them all before resting on Jaune. "You're up, kid," he said as he opened the door, pushing it in before gesturing for Jaune to enter.

He'd expected the room to be empty, and was surprised to see an all too familiar face inside.

Winter Schnee's eyes met his, and in an instant drifted over to his right. They lit up when they saw her younger sister. "Weiss…"

Jaune heard the girl's breath hitch in her throat, and Weiss grabbed onto his arm for comfort and support. He didn't know what manner of complex emotions were going through her mind and her heart right now, but he could only imagine…

The two hadn't spoken to one another since the incident at the dance. Jaune hadn't even seen Winter since then, but from the looks of it she seemed to be in perfect health. At least that night hadn't ended in a tragedy. Though he knew that by being called down here by Qrow, the ramifications of that night had not all come to pass yet.

"Later," Qrow ordered, earning a soft scowl from the Atlesian woman inside. "Right now we just need to speak with your leader for a moment. Alone."

Jaune turned to Weiss, who still clutched at his arm protectively. He smiled down on her, his vision filled with a head of snowy white hair. "I'll be fine," he spoke softly to her. "And you'll get to talk to Winter soon."

When she didn't release his arm Jaune had to use his own left hand to forcibly pry her fingers off him. She got the hint soon enough, and reluctantly let go as Jaune stepped into the office. Qrow came behind, and the door shut to leave him standing with two fully-trained huntsmen who could kill him in a matter of seconds.

* * *

Ruby watched the door close behind Jaune. She didn't like this. Despite the fact that one of the humans in there was their professor, and the other was Weiss' sister, she didn't like Jaune being alone with them. She didn't like being out here, clueless as to what was transpiring inside. Without so much as being able to speak in her mate's defense.

At the very least, if there was a spike in negativity, she would know. Then she and the others would be able to act.

Speaking of the others, Ruby looked over to her two teammates. Yang leaned casually against the wall, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Though her eyes were closed, Ruby could tell her sister was not happy. However, something told the redhead that it wasn't about being separated from Jaune.

Weiss on the other hand stood pensively in front of the door, her hands clasped together in front of her as she stared at the door so intensely that Ruby might have believed she was able to see through it. Negativity radiated from the white-haired girl, but that wasn't the only kind of emotion. Weiss was a swirling mix of feelings that Ruby could only vaguely describe. Apprehension and hope. Anger and eagerness. Feelings Ruby could relate to all too well.

Moving over to the girl, Ruby placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder comfortingly. "It'll be okay, Weiss," she spoke softly, barely above a whisper.

The contact and words seemed to have broken the spell which held Weiss, and the girl's head lowered slightly, a slight smile on her face. "I know."

Ruby's lips twisted into a soft frown. "You do?" she asked with confusion. She wondered what Weiss had been so worried about then.

Weiss' mouth curled into a full-blown smile, nothing like the usual know-it-all grin she liked to display when spouting off knowledge about the human world like she did way back when. "Of course. Not only is Jaune strong, but… he's with my sister."

It was hardly the explanation Ruby had been expecting. It wasn't one she understood either. True, Winter was Weiss' sister, but she was still a woman they'd only just met. A human woman who knew their secret. A human woman who had connections with powerful authority figures from not only Vale, but Atlas as well. All it took was one false step, one wrong move, and their lives as they knew them would be over.

"Ruby. What's it like to have a sister?"

Weiss' words broke Ruby from her own thoughts, and saw how Weiss had turned to peer into her silver eyes. Pale blue ones, like melting chips of ice, stared into her, glistening with that annoying wetness that sometimes happened to her own eyes.

Sneaking a glance over to where Yang stood on her own, Ruby recounted all the times they'd shared together back in Salem's realm. Back in a time before Jaune. A time when Yang had been the only one to ever show an ounce of care for the damaged hybrid. The hybrid who felt positive emotions.

"Yang's the best," she smiled, keeping her voice low to keep the blonde hybrid from hearing. She would be embarrassed to have her sister hear how she gushed over her. "She never maimed me, she tolerated me touching her sometimes… oh, and she didn't even yell at me when I saved Zwei from Cardin."

For a hybrid to want to preserve a life rather than take one was considered an alien concept. But Ruby couldn't have just stood idly by when Cardin had produced the most adorable little dog in front of the whole class, bragging about how he was going to eat the poor thing. Ruby had sprang into action, challenging Cardin for the rights to the dog, and winning Zwei as her own. When she'd said she wasn't going to eat him, it sent shockwaves through the class. It had also started a long history of animosity between the two hybrids.

One which ultimately ended in Cardin's death at the hands of her scythe.

"Never maimed you…" Weiss whispered, a hand moving up to touch the scar which now marred the left side of her face.

Silver eyes widened, and Ruby realized how her words might cause Weiss doubt. "N-no!" she stammered. She came in close to Weiss, wrapping an arm around the other girl's shoulder and pulling her close so she could speak softly in her ear. "That wasn't your fault, Weiss. You weren't yourself when you and your sister fought. You wouldn't have ever normally done that, and she wouldn't have ever had to fight back…"

Memories of Winter's bloody body lying in Beacon's courtyard filled Ruby's mind. She couldn't imagine what that must have been like for either of the sisters. The thought of having to face off against Yang in a battle of life or death terrified the youngest hybrid.

"Perhaps," Weiss finally said in soft agreement. Or maybe not so much agreement as it was trying to convince herself that Ruby was right and she was wrong.

Weiss admitting to being wrong… there really was a first time for everything.

"B-but me and Yang do all kinds of fun stuff together," Ruby continued, wanting to lighten Weiss' mood rather than have the opposite effect, which seemed to be the road she was travelling down. "When we ate she'd always break the bones for me so I could suck the marrow out. I always used to wind up splintering and ruining them."

Ruby smiled at the memory of sitting in the cafeteria in Salem's realm. One thing she missed about the place, and there were very few things indeed, was the bone marrow. Sucking the tasty treat out straight from the source was hardly something she could do openly here in the human world.

"Bone marrow," Weiss repeated to herself, pulling out a notebook she used for class and jotting something down on its pages. "I've heard tales that humans sometimes enjoy 'boning' with each other. Do you think this is what they meant?"

Ruby had never heard that turn of phrase before, but it made sense. What else could boning mean if not doing something with bones? And what else would you do with bones other than suck the delicious marrow from them? "I don't see why not."

"Ask Winter to bone together…" she said as she wrote. "What else?"

"Oh, every year on my spawnday Yang would measure my horns," she continued. Ruby smiled at the memory of how she'd impale her long keratin daggers on a hunk of raw, bloody meat and Yang would measure to see how much length was able to penetrate out to the other side. A testament to both her horn length and her growing strength. "She said that maybe one day mine might get as long as hers, but… at this point I don't think they ever will. I think I'm gonna be short forever," she griped, referring both to her horns and her height.

"Horn length…" Weiss muttered again as she wrote more down in the notebook. "Though I do not think Winter possesses horns herself."

Ruby hummed thoughtfully. "Well nothing's stopping her from measuring yours. You may only have one horn, but it's a nice one."

"One horn to rule them all," the other hybrid agreed proudly.

"Let's see… what else do me and Yang do…" Silver eyes lit up. "Oh! Grimm!"

"Grimm?" Weiss asked, suddenly looking around her in a panic. "Where!"

"No, not actual Grimm," Ruby amended. "Me and Yang would train together and kill a bunch of Grimm. You and Winter should totally go out and kill Grimm! That's like her job, right?"

Weiss' fingers came up to stroke her chin thoughtfully. "As a huntress, yes. Perhaps that would be a good bonding experience. As the old saying goes, the sisters who kill together chill together."

Ruby had no idea what that meant, but if Weiss said it was true then it probably was. Ruby stole another glance back at Yang, who was conspicuous in her lack of participation in the conversation. She clearly wasn't happy for some reason. Perhaps Ruby should take her own advice and go out Grimm-slaughtering with Yang. A good old sisterly hunt together.

Her focus snapped back to the door which separated them from Jaune. A spike in negativity earned Weiss' attention as well.

"I do not like that man," the white-haired hybrid growled. Ruby knew she was referring to Professor Branwen. "He's causing Jaune duress."

That made two of them. Yang clearly didn't either. Ruby wondered why she herself didn't feel any inherent disdain for him. Though if he continued to draw out negative emotions from Jaune, her opinion might soon change…

"What do you think they're talking about?" Ruby wondered.

"Us." Another guttural growl, more animal-like than human sounded in the back of Weiss' throat. "They're going to blame him for us…"

Ruby didn't know why. Jaune was completely innocent in all of this. He was just a human. An innocent human who had wound up at Salem's academy by mistake. The happiest mistake of Ruby's life, but a mistake all the same. Jaune had done nothing wrong. He'd done nothing but love her and her friends and sister unconditionally. Even Blake! If Professor Branwen and Weiss' sister so much as thought about harming a single hair on his head…

Not even Winter's blood-relation to Weiss would spare her from Ruby's wrath.

"Should we go in there?" Ruby wondered. She wanted to, but agreement from Weiss would help to strengthen her resolve. A pack should fight as one.

"If the negativity gets worse… yes."

Those were terms Ruby could abide by. Jaune may have said that things would be fine, but she didn't trust these humans around him. He may have been one of them, but he was also an ally to those they were sworn to hate.

Her pack, and her mate, must be protected.

* * *

"Take a seat, Jaune," Qrow said, the earlier title of 'Mister Arc' gone in this more casual setting.

A pair of cushioned chairs sat in front of the desk, neither being occupied as Winter stood with her hands behind her back. Qrow moved around to sit behind the desk, the high-backed leather seat creaking as he sat down before rolling it back next into place.

As Jaune took his seat, he looked over to the man. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Are you stupid or just playing dumb?" Winter snapped, earning his attention.

The fact that she was the only one standing was probably deliberate, attempting to use a domineering position in order to intimidate the boy. It just made Jaune want to sigh, suddenly very tired. In another life this would have worried him. Cowed him into docile submission. He considered telling her that she looked more like an adorable kitten in comparison to the terror incarnate that was Salem.

"Winter," Qrow growled. "Calm down."

The Specialist looked as though she had more she wanted to say, but to her credit she held her tongue.

"So how much do you know?" Jaune asked the man across from him, choosing to deliberately stay vague.

"About what happened here? Only what Winter told me." Red eyes shifted to the woman in question for a moment before focusing back on Jaune. "About the situation as a whole? More than that. Tell me, Jaune. Does the name Salem mean anything to you?"

It was one thing to think about the woman. It was quite another to hear someone else, especially who Jaune had thought was uninitiated on such matters, to utter it. His chest ached where she once plunged her hand clean through, and even if he had wanted to deny it, he was sure his eyes had given away a reaction to the name.

"Yeah," he nodded. "It does." _More than you could ever imagine…_ his mind continued.

Qrow hummed, nodding as he leaned back in his seat. Leather creaked in the silence. "You're human, aren't you? At the very least, not like whatever it is that Weiss turned into."

The question surprised Jaune. He would have thought that Qrow would have thought that he was just like Weiss. Jaune had no reason to lie about his true nature. "I am."

"You've got a nice paper trail which tells me you're not lying," the man continued, pulling out his scroll and opening it up. A transparent blue screen showed a lot of words, but Jaune couldn't read what they were. "Dad's a licensed huntsman. Established residence. Elementary school records. Seven sisters. Oh, how is Saphron doing with little Adrian? I've heard newborns can be a real pain."

The mention of his family, and particularly his newborn nephew, made his face burn. He glared at the older huntsman. If Qrow was trying to threaten him, it was working. He hadn't expected this kind of tactic from an actual huntsman. Tyrian, yes. Even Cinder. But Qrow?

"If you even think about hurting them…" he whispered dangerously.

"Relax, kid. I'm not threatening anyone." Qrow set the scroll down and held up a single hand in order to try to placate him. "I'm just telling you that I believe you. You've got way too much going on outside of this place for you to not be who you say you are. Okay?"

Jaune's face was still flushed with anger, but he at the very least did believe Qrow's words. He nodded firmly. "Fine. I'm human. So what?"

"The same can't be said for your teammates. Let's not pretend anymore, okay? Their names aren't Rosalyn Rouge, Yara Xanthic, and Wren Slate. They're Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, and Weiss Schnee. Are we in agreement?"

Jaune nodded. He couldn't and wouldn't deny that fact from the girl's own relatives. Even if he wanted to keep their identities a secret from them, he knew that they wouldn't have believed him. He didn't want Qrow or Winter to get the impression that he was untrustworthy. That would only make further progress with them all the more difficult.

Hands folded atop the desk, and Qrow's eyes settled in to focus on Jaune's once more. "So what I wanna know is, what's a human like you doing working for Salem? How does a kid like you go from a nice big family like yours to… whatever it is you and those girls are doing here?"

How? By being the biggest moron in the world. By forging transcripts, peddling them to any huntsman academy he could find, and then being unlucky enough to be accepted by the very incarnation of evil to join her academy and be her own personal experiment.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he wound up saying instead.

The veteran huntsman gave a slight nod, and even seemed to accept the answer by virtue of not pressing for details. A small trace of a smirk curled on his lips. "Bad luck?"

The simplicity of the question, and the underlying truth to it, forced Jaune to crack a smile as well. "Something like that."

"I can relate," Qrow commented casually. "Are you here by choice?"

Jaune pondered the question. In a way, yes. In a way, no. He could of course run away. Abandon this place and return home. Leave the girls to their fate. Leave Beacon to its fate. How long he would last, how long his family would remain safe from the agents of Salem, he couldn't say.

He knew he couldn't do any of that, however. He couldn't leave the girls he loved. Even if he could wash his hands of this mess, even if he and his family would be safe, he couldn't abandon the girls he had come to care for. So, no. It wasn't a choice. He was here to stay whether he liked it or not.

"No," he finally answered.

Qrow grunted, and nodded to accept his answer. "So you're human. You're not here by choice. And your teammates, or at least one of them, isn't exactly human." His eyes flicked up to regard the woman who still stood above them both. "Tell me, are Ruby and Yang the same as Weiss?"

At this moment Jaune wondered exactly what his rights were. Could anything he said here be used against him? The thought of asking for a lawyer amused him. He wondered if telling his advocate that his teammates were Grimm hybrids would qualify as privileged information.

It was pretty clear that Qrow and Winter knew a good deal about the truth. Qrow was even aware of who Salem was. Still, he didn't feel like he could just discuss these things openly with the two of them. Family or not, they didn't know what their loved ones had become. Jaune didn't know whether or not they would be able to accept the truth about what Salem had twisted them into.

"Kid, we don't have all day." Qrow was watching him intently, tension growing tighter.

"Your nieces," Jaune started, mouth feeling dry. "You love them, right?"

"What-?"

"You love them," Jaune interrupted, speaking up. "You would do anything for them. Right?"

Winter's hardened facade cracked, just a bit as Qrow lowered his eyes for a moment. "Anything in my power."

Jaune swallowed, trying to keep his throat clear. "They are. Just like Weiss, they've been transformed."

"Into monsters," said Winter.

Jaune shook his head. "No. You can't think of them like that." _I can't_ , he thought to himself, _think of them like that_. "They're not monsters. They're victims. Victims of Salem."

Qrow seemed to deflate just a bit. Slouch a bit more, lose whatever strength he had to keep sitting upright as a proud and strong huntsman should. "They're alive..." he whispered to himself.

"Salem did something to them. Something about a pit of destruction, she said, and made them into… what they are. But they're still human. Their Aura is proof of that." Jaune struggled to think of how to describe it, how to explain to them. "That's their humanity, fighting back against the Grimm… stuff that they've been infested with."

"Why did Weiss... how could she..." Winter started, unable to articulate her feelings.

"When their Aura is unlocked, they have to try and reconcile their humanity with what they've been forced into." Jaune paused, looking behind him towards the door. "Most of them have had a hard time with that. But once they get a handle on it, it makes them more human. More like what they should be."

"Why are you here?" Qrow fixed Jaune with a critical stare. "Why are they here?"

Jaune blinked. "I don't know."

"Don't give me that-!" Winter started.

"I mean it!" Jaune shouted back. "I don't know! We were sent to infiltrate Beacon, but we weren't given anything to actually do. Just to blend in as best we could."

Winter eyed him with some suspicion. "If that is true, then there could be other..."

"Hybrids," he offered.

"Hybrids," she echoed. "Other hybrids, hiding within our ranks. Salem could be planning to use them for high level covert operations."

Qrow nodded. "Thinking like a Specialist."

"No," Jaune said. "There were more. But they've all died. Except Wesson, I guess. I wonder how he's doing..."

"What do you mean died!" Winter couldn't help the sharp turn in her voice.

Jaune winced. "Survival of the fittest. The hybrids were pitted against each other, often to the death. Until only the strongest and most reliable ones were left."

"That doesn't make sense. Why would she dwindle her own," Qrow stopped, eyes closing. "Because she could always make more. Their lives wouldn't matter to her. Why would they when she has all the time in the world? What else is there?"

Jaune thought of Cinder. He knew she was up to something, a totally human agent of Salem. Unlike with his own team, there was no evidence of foul play from hers. They'd even helped out with the dance. Jaune had no proof of any of their motives or actions. All he had to go on was Blake's word of Cinder doing something at the CCT tower. He couldn't have Cinder questioned, much less arrested on his word alone. Qrow and Winter would likely see it as him trying to deflect attention and blame off of himself and onto a third party.

Even if they did buy his story, even if Cinder and her team were detained, he believed that she was spiteful enough to bring him down with her and tell all the wrong people about what they truly were. Ozpin. Ironwood. Whoever else would listen. If Cinder were to hang from the gallows, she would do so with a smile on her face as long as he and his team hung next to her.

Like Cinder had told him days earlier, his life would be over. That was the simple reality of being caught here.

Like it or not, he needed to wait for more information. He needed Blake. For the first time since knowing the hybrid, he needed her. Wanted to speak with her. Cinder would be his responsibility to deal with, and Blake would be an ace up his sleeve that not even Qrow and Winter would know about.

The thought of needing Blake was an amusing one. One that apparently had a very physical reaction on his face.

"Is something amusing?" Winter snapped.

Jaune shook the thought from his mind. "Nothing at all," he admitted earnestly.

"Jaune," Qrow growled. "Why are you doing all of this? That's the one thing I don't understand. What's your goal here?"

Silver eyes burned in his mind. A know-it-all smile. The warm embrace of a fierce warrior. Even the chills of the horror beneath his bed.

"I want to save them," he declared. "I want to break them from all ties with Salem. I want Ruby to be able to enjoy cookies and sweets in the light of day. I want Weiss to be able to learn to her heart's content. I don't care if she gets it all wrong. Yang... Yang I just want her to be able to live. Find some purpose in life other than fighting." He didn't mention Blake to them. It never hurt to have an ace up his sleeve… "I love them. I love them, and I just want them to live the lives that were stolen from them."

Love was truly an amazing thing. Love gave you the ability to make the impossible possible. To move mountains.

"Then let us help you," the Specialist said, her tone softening. "If you know how to save them, then you don't have to do it alone. It's obvious you trust us, since you saved my life rather than letting Weiss finish me off when she was out of control. And I think it's clear that we trust you, since we haven't had you arrested. So let us work with you to help our loved ones."

It wasn't that he didn't want them to help, but rather he wondered how they could. Weiss had already broken down once upon learning that she had a human sister. The hybrid seemed to be receptive to the idea, and that would go a long way in making things work. However, what would Winter think when she learned who her sister had become? Would she be able to accept the beast that lived within her?

Yang was the exact opposite of her hybrid kin. Jaune knew that she not only hated her mother for abandoning her, but she hated her uncle as well. Yang would sooner fight and even kill Qrow than spend time with him of her own free will. Leaving those two together in a room by themselves was asking for trouble.

And then there was Ruby. Unlike her sister, Ruby didn't recognize Qrow. Ruby didn't even recognize her own mother who was held captive in Salem's dungeons. Once she had asked Jaune if she had a father. For all intents and purposes, Yang and himself were all that the girl had in her life. To introduce her to her uncle, to potentially reunite her with her mother and father, he didn't know how she would react to that. It would have to be dealt with delicately and slowly. She would have to be eased into it. And sadly, it would have to be done without Yang until her own issues could be worked out.

"Jaune. Say something," Qrow said softly.

A hand came up to rub his face. The uncertainty of knowing how his friends would react, the indecision he faced, was difficult. Things had been much easier when he'd been on his own. Ironically, having allies now made life harder. Less black and white. He really didn't know what he should do or who he should trust. Or to what extent.

"I don't know," he admitted. "This isn't as easy as you think it'll be…"

"Are you really that arrogant?" Winter snarled, her softer, pleading tone gone in an instant. "Do you think you're the only one who cares for them? What happens to Weiss? She's my _sister!_ How _dare_ you think that you love her more than I do!"

Jaune knew his logic was selfish. Arrogant, as she'd just stated. Even flawed. He knew he was willingly putting the weight of the world on his shoulders, and his alone. But after everything he'd been through with those girls, knowing what they truly were and what they'd been through, unlike the two huntsmen who shared the room with him… he didn't want to take any risks that he could avoid.

His head sunk, eyes gazing down at his hands folded atop his lap. "It's not that I think you didn't love them," he began softly. "I just wonder if you still can."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

What he meant was difficult to even think about, much less say. He couldn't meet either of their gazes as he continued. "What if they're so far gone from the family you once knew that you don't even recognize them anymore? What if what they've become is so terrible that putting them down would be a mercy in your eyes?"

No sooner than the words left his mouth did Jaune feel a pair of hands grip him by the front of his hoodie and pick him up from the chair. Winter Schnee may have been shorter and lither than he was, but she was a powerhouse of a huntress. She slammed him up against the wall with enough force to shake it.

"Is that what you think of us?" she hissed. "You think I would kill my own sister after thinking she was dead for years? How dare you…"

"Winter!" Qrow shouted, standing up from his own seat and pressing his palms down flat on the desk's surface.

Jaune didn't struggle. He didn't try to fight back. Reflecting on what he'd just said, he deserved the wrath of the Specialist. He couldn't imagine how he would have felt had someone made the same claim about himself and any of his sisters. Jaune knew he'd never been the smoothest of talkers, but what he'd just said might have taken the cake for the dumbest question ever.

Still, it wasn't a line of thought he could just ignore. What if Qrow or Winter simply couldn't cope with what the girls truly were? What if they couldn't accept Weiss' horn? Ruby's gnarled black arm? Yang's own monstrous one?

What if they could never get their girls back to how they used to be? At what point would putting them down like a sickly pet be considered a mercy?

Slowly Winter released her hold on him, and after a deep breath took a step away from him. Jaune held no grudge.

"If you want to try to help, Weiss would be the easiest. She accepts that you're her sister. A human sister." Jaune's attention turned to Qrow. "But the others? Yang hates you, Professor Branwen. She despises you. And Ruby… Ruby doesn't even know who you are. She doesn't remember you or anyone else. Even her own mom."

"Her mom?"

Jaune nodded grimly. "Yeah. Her mom…"

Qrow's eyes widened. "Summer? She's… _alive?_ "

Jaune breathed a heavy sigh. Summer was one issue he had no idea how to deal with. He had no idea how to help her. "She is. She's a prisoner of Salem. I don't know why she's been kept alive all this time. But I've seen Ruby peddled in front of her, almost like some sort of test. No matter how much Summer begged Ruby to remember her… she just couldn't."

The memory broke his heart.

Qrow's composure had evaporated, and his jaw was slack as he sunk back into his leather seat. He looked just as heartbroken as Jaune felt. "My gods… she's alive. After all this time…"

"I don't know how to save her. I just know she's there."

The man nodded. "I understand. And I think I have an idea…"

Before Jaune could question it, a pounding on the door earned all their attentions, and for that Jaune was glad. Any distraction from the faux pas he had just committed would be a welcome one. Winter turned to look at Qrow, who nodded wordlessly back to her.

The Specialist moved over and opened the door, only for it to be shoved open forcefully as soon as she'd opened it a crack.

Weiss came stomping inside, icy-blue eyes glaring at both instructors. "What in the world is going on in here!"

Behind her a familiar head of red and black hair peeked through, not fully committing to stepping inside. However, her silver eyes locked with Jaune's blue ones, and he could tell from Ruby's expression that she was concerned.

Jaune offered her a soft smile of reassurance. He mouthed the words 'I'm okay' to her.

Winter, for all her earlier aggression, was immediately put on her back foot. "I…"

"Negativity is simply radiating from this room," the hybrid continued, unwilling to give her sister an opportunity to explain herself. "And then shouting? Loud banging noises? If either of you dare lay a finger on my mate I'll make you regret it!"

Though she said either of them, Weiss' attention had honed in squarely on Qrow. Perhaps Weiss believed that her sister was incapable of being responsible for the ruckus despite the fact that she alone had caused it. Jaune couldn't ignore the irony, nor could he stop the small smirk from curling on his lips.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ruby slowly pulling the door closed once more so that random passersby couldn't hear the conversation taking place. It squeaked as it moved, and the fact that Ruby was trying to be sly and sneaky in shutting the door only made more noise than if it was pulled closed in one swift motion.

Jaune stole a glance over to Winter, wondering how she would react to Weiss calling him her mate. Thankfully there was no look of shock or anger, other than the shock of her long lost sibling barging in on them.

"We were just talking, Weiss," Jaune said, omitting the fact that her sister had just assaulted him. The last thing he wanted was to drive a wedge between the two reunited sisters.

"Talking," she echoed. "Are you sure?"

No, but he wasn't about to stir things up any more than they already were. A little white lie to keep the peace between Weiss and Winter wouldn't hurt. "I'm sure."

Weiss nodded before whirling around to face both him and Winter, and her eyes looked over both. Marching over on her high heels, Weiss came to stand in front of her sister, and was forced to crane her neck up in order to look her in the eyes.

"Winter," she stated firmly, her trembling arms and legs betraying the confident tone in which she spoke.

"Y-yes, Weiss?" the professional huntress replied, astoundingly just as nervous as her hybrid sister.

"I request that we do all of the sister things together." Weiss' hands were folded politely in front of her, resting just below her torso as her head craned up to stare into Winter's eyes. "Please, allow me to make up for impaling you on my horn."

Winter Schnee. The Atlesian Specialist. The woman with a heart of iron and eyes of ice, stood paralyzed and utterly terrified. "I…"

"Please do not deny me this request. I have tried to come to terms with the fact that I have… a human sister." Weiss' eyes came to focus on Jaune. "And Jaune…he has helped me to see how much you love and care for me. I wish to get to know you better and learn about both you and our… family."

Jaune took a step away from the older Schnee sibling, wanting to give them as much space as possible in the small room. With a couple feet of distance between them he saw that Winter's hands were shaking. She appeared to be on the verge of tears. It probably took all the training and discipline in the world not to break down from her long lost sister's loving request.

"Weiss…" she barely managed to whisper out. She nodded. Slowly for the first time, but her pace quickened almost immediately. "Yes. Yes, Weiss. Of course. We will! We'll do everything together! Anything you want!"

Weiss seemed pleased with herself, and the girl wore an all too familiar smug smile on her face. The confidence she had lacked earlier suddenly flowed through her as freely as blood through her veins. "Splendid. I look forward to doing all of the things that Ruby has told me about when it comes to sisterly affection." Her gaze once more fell on Jaune. "Have you concluded your business with our instructors yet, Jaune?"

The boy looked to Qrow, who gave a halfhearted shrug. "Sure, why not. We can always talk later." Qrow's red eyes moved to Winter. "I think we got a lot more out of this than we thought we would."

"Quite so," Winter smiled. "Weiss. When… would be a good time for you?"

"Would tomorrow evening suffice? I confess that there are still questions I have which I must consult my friends about. And I simply must find something appropriate to wear for the occasion."

"Yes. Tomorrow would be wonderful, Weiss. I look forward to being able to speak to you alone. This time the real you."

"As do I. Now, if you would excuse us," Weiss said, latching onto Jaune's hand and pulling him after her. "I believe you have both had enough time alone with Jaune, though I understand why you would wish to get to know him better. However, we are sisters, and I do believe it would be a societal taboo for us to share the same mate. Despite what Professor Callows' documentaries would have me believe."

As Jaune was pulled from the room, the last glimpse he had from Winter was one of horrified confusion. He couldn't blame her. Not when Weiss had just suggested that her sister should hook up with him.

Ruby and Yang were outside. Jaune knew that their time would come eventually. Weiss and Winter were reconnecting, but things weren't as simple when it came to Qrow. One of the girls wanted nothing to do with him, while the other didn't know he meant anything to her.

He just had to figure out how best to drop such a bombshell on Ruby, and how to heal Yang's wounded heart.

* * *

When the door shut, Qrow was left alone with Winter, who was apparently still trying to process the many things Weiss had just heaped on her. From spending time alone as sisters, to believing the Specialist was romantically interested in Jaune, she had a lot to unpack.

Qrow did as well.

Summer… Summer was alive. Held captive by Salem. The only question was, why?

Jaune had mentioned that Salem brought Ruby down to see her from time to time. He'd mentioned it was like some sort of test, and that each time Summer had tried to make Ruby remember who she was. Ruby of course hadn't. She'd been young when Summer went missing. And then there was the whole pit of destruction thing Jaune had mentioned. Qrow didn't know what that meant, but Ozpin might.

He'd just have to figure out a way to casually bring it up in conversation.

Until then, however, he had a far more important issue that required addressing. One that may very well require his full attention. Though it pained him to have to take his focus away from his nieces, he knew that the path before him would be an arduous one that required everything he had.

"Winter," he said, breaking the silence. He stared down at his hands which rested on his desk.

"Yes?"

"I need you to run point on this for a while," he said grimly. "There's something I gotta do. Someone… I have to talk to."

He wasn't looking at her, but Qrow could tell by Winter's tone that she was confused. Frustratingly so. "What could possibly be more important to you than what's right in front of us?"

Truthfully, the fact that Yang, Ruby, and Weiss were right in front of him was comforting. They were here at Beacon Academy. With Jaune by their side and Winter watching them, they were for all intents and purposes, safe.

The same couldn't be said for Summer.

"Another piece of the puzzle," he stated vaguely. His eyes came up to regard Winter. "An old friend of mine, Summer Rose."

"Ruby's mother," Winter said, her voice lowering in realization to what Qrow was talking about. A grim frown remained on her lips. "I understand. What do you plan to do?"

Qrow thought about what he had to do. Who he had to talk to. Now, more than ever. Before this call was able to be put on the backburner. He hadn't wanted to disrupt their perfect little family life until it was absolutely necessary.

The addition of Summer to the equation changed everything. There wasn't a moment to waste.

"Unfortunately, what I have to," he said cryptically.

"Then you can count on me here," Winter stated firmly. Frankly, Qrow was surprised by the camaraderie that had developed between the two of them. A mutual interest had forced oil and water to swirl together like they never had before.

"I know I can," he agreed. "When it comes to our girls, there's no one I trust more than you."

It saddened him that the woman he was going to be forced to see couldn't be counted on in the same way. Not anymore. Not after everything he'd learned.

His twin sister Raven never really appreciated when he showed up in her life. This time would be no exception.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** New cover art! This gorgeous piece was done by the amazing **Seshirukun** , and I strongly encourage you to go check out their Deviantart page for not only this picture, but more incredible RWBY art.

Who's ready for some incoming family drama! The Branwens, Xiao Longs and Roses are about to get turned upside down.

Despite the bombshells that were dropped here, this was kind of a transition chapter. Coming up we're going to get some spicy moments with Qrow and Raven, some wholesome stuff with Weiss and Winter, and much more! Honestly there's so much going on and so many different character interactions to cover that I sometimes wonder if I can stuff them all into the story without it becoming too bloated. Like, I really want to include more stuff with secondary and tertiary characters like Penny, Velvet, Sun, etc. But there never seems to be enough time!

So I'm just curious as to what you all think. Do you want more moments with the minor characters? Or would you prefer things stay tighter with just the main cast of the story?

Anyway, as always I want to thank all of your for continuing to read and support this fic. My thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for their awesome input and help as well.

I hope you enjoyed it.


	33. Chapter 33

"Okay, Ruby. Who was responsible for founding the four major huntsman academies after the Great War?"

The girl in front of him hummed in thought, taking a few seconds to come to her answer. "The King of Vale?"

"That's right." Jaune leaned in, but stopped short of reaching the top of her head. "But what was his name?"

The girl in his arms stiffened at the follow up question.

Sitting down outside with his back against a tree, Jaune cradled Ruby against his chest, his arms snaking around her body and holding her close to him. She was happy with the show of affection, and lazily rested her head against him as he quizzed her on their studies.

The shade of the leaves shielded them from the setting sun, and as the two sat there Jaune couldn't imagine a more perfect scene. The weather was still warm despite the encroaching change of seasons, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves above them. Studying was normally boring, but not when you had a beautiful girl in your arms on a gorgeous day like this. Not when the rewards for correct answers were in themselves so rewarding.

"I… uh… I don't remember," she answered glumly.

"Oh. Well then…"

"No, that's not fair, Jaune!" she whined, turning to give him a sad, sideways glance. The pain in the single silver eye he could see was heart-wrenching, and Jaune didn't know if he'd be able to abide by the rules. "Why should I have to remember the name of a guy from like eighty years ago?"

Eighty years. She'd nailed that answer and he hadn't even asked a question. He supposed that was worth a reward in itself.

"I guess it's not fair, since I don't remember his name either," Jaune admitted sheepishly. Leaning down, he gently pressed his lips against the top of Ruby's head, kissing her red-black hair. A quiet moan of contentment slipped through the hybrid's lips. "Good job, Ruby."

He couldn't see her face, but he could tell she was smiling ear to ear at the feeling of her reward. "Yay me."

It was a simple study routine. One correct answer meant one kiss. The more she got right, the more she got kissed. It was turning out to be a very effective system of positive reinforcement for the hybrid girl. One who wanted so desperately to flee the life she'd once been trapped in and live among humans. One who wanted to fit in as a normal human. In order to do that she'd have to know what they did. Everything, from anatomy to history, from proper social cues to common human customs, she'd need to learn everything a teenager her age would know. Jaune was of course more than willing to help the girl he loved. The girl he would save from the clutches of the monster known as Salem.

A wet gagging noise earned Jaune's attention, and over to the side, a mane of golden hair whipped through the air as Yang turned her attention from her own tree. "Do you really have to do that in public?"

In lieu of studying under her own tree, Yang had chosen to train under it instead. Bark had been pulverized, and the exposed wood of the trunk showed where Yang had spent the last few minutes punching it. He was certain that with her enhanced strength that she probably could have fell the tree in a single blow, but Yang was focusing on her form and control more than raw strength.

The mocking hum Jaune heard from Ruby told him that she was probably sticking her tongue out at her sister. "Yes we do have to do this in public," she answered smugly. "People show that they love each other out in public all the time. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"And what do people call that?" Jaune asked.

"PDA!"

"Which stands for?"

"Public display of affection!" she yelled triumphantly.

"Correct." Jaune leaned in, giving her a pair of smooches atop her head. Ruby wiggled happily in his arms, rubbing her back against his chest under the duel-kisses she'd received.

"Gross," Yang blanched, punching her tree again to emphasis the sentiment.

Jaune smirked, looking over Ruby's head at the blonde girl who resumed wailing on the poor, innocent tree. He wondered if it would survive its encounter with the hybrid.

"More questions," Ruby eagerly asked.

Tightening his hold around her torso, Jaune gave her tummy a gentle rub, causing her to giggle softly. "Okay. How about…" he started, reaching into his own mind to try and find another question he could ask. Jaune wasn't exactly a top student himself, so his own knowledge was more limited than someone like Ren or Pyrrha. "What was the Great War fought over?"

"Ugh!" An annoyed groan rumbled in Ruby's throat, and she leaned her head back against his chest to the point where she could nearly look up at him. He saw how her eyebrows were creased in frustration. "All this history stuff is boring!" she griped. "I bet if you asked me questions about our Grimm Studies class I'd get everything right."

Of that Jaune had no doubt. Being a Grimm hybrid herself, it was only natural that she would know all about her own kind. Well, half kind. Or was she? Jaune didn't exactly know just how 'Grimmified' Ruby was, for lack of a better term. She had a Grimm arm, and she had other physical features when she was in her Grimm form, but her internal anatomy was still entirely human.

As she had once bragged, she had a fully functioning womb.

"I bet you would," he smiled down on her, his disarming expression causing her face to scrunch up even further. "And that's exactly why we're not studying things you already know. No point to that, is there?"

"But it means I get more rewards," she pouted.

With a face like that Jaune was ready to give her all the rewards she could ever ask for. He steeled himself though, trying to fill himself with the resolve needed not to give into her cuteness. Studying was for her own good. She had to learn as much as possible to be more human. They all did. Weiss would learn from her sister. Yang would learn through osmosis being here with him and Ruby. Blake…

Blake already knew how to act human. She just chose not to.

"The reason for the war, Ruby," Jaune struggled to say, wanting so badly to kiss that adorable, pouty forehead of his girlfriend.

Even when she tried to look upset with him Ruby failed spectacularly, making him want to laugh and grin at her horrible attempts at anger. She lightly banged the back of her head against his chest to convey that angry, which only made things worse for him. "Fine! The reason was… um… it was because humans are stupid and fight each other even when they're all about to die from the Grimm. Like you!"

Did she just threaten to kill him? Was he the stupid human and she the Grimm? Somehow her immature and threatening outburst made him want to laugh all the more. His chest began to heave against her back, and her head whirled around to eye him accusingly.

"Stop laughing!" she squawked. "I mean it!"

"I'm sorry, Ruby," he laughed, burying his nose into her hair. "I'm sorry. I can't. I just can't." He gave her a long kiss atop her head in an attempt to placate her, as well as silence his laugher. "There. Even though your answer was _technically_ correct, it wasn't the answer I was looking for. But… I guess you earned your reward because you're just too freaking cute."

The gesture did seem to relax Ruby, who lazily leaned back him again and breathed out a sigh of contentment. This was going to be a long study session, but Jaune wouldn't have it any other way.

The sounds of choking and gagging once again earned Jaune's attention, and he looked up to see splintered wood fly from the tree trunk. That poor tree. It wouldn't make it through the winter if Yang kept up such a brutal assault.

Jaune closed his eyes and leaned his head back against his own tree. He could fall asleep right here and now. Tree bark may not have been much of a pillow, but with Ruby lying between his legs and against his chest, she made an excellent blanket.

Maybe he could just take a quick nap. Ruby might fall asleep too, but Yang would wake them up. Probably. Even if she didn't, it wasn't like any harm would come to them in the middle of the most prestigious huntsman academy in Remnant.

The smell of strawberries wafted through his nose, Ruby's choice of shampoo quickly becoming his favorite scent in the world. If she was expecting another question then she didn't voice her concerns, and the wonderful feeling of sleep was beginning to tug at the edges of his mind.

"Jaune!"

Only to be shattered with a word.

Blue eyes burst open, and the sound of a terrified voice filled his ears. In the distance and approaching quickly was the running form of Blake, wearing her favorite new Haven Academy uniform.

Ruby and Jaune were both up in an instant, ready to confront whatever horror was chasing after the girl. Had she been found out? Had some authority learned that she was not a student of any academy and were out to apprehend her? Even Yang abandoned her tree and whirled around with her fists raised and ready for a fight.

Until they saw her pursuer. Jaune's shoulders relaxed when the harmless boy turned the corner, walking, not running, after the girl who was fleeing for her life.

Blake barreled into Jaune, the force of her impact pushing him back a few steps. She wrapped her arms around him briefly before turning to hide behind his back. As she had done before, Blake turned him into a human shield in order to protect herself from the boy who radiated positivity like the bright beams of light of his namesake.

"Oh, Jaune, save me," Blake cried dramatically. "He's after me and I don't know what to do!"

Sun approached slowly, and in Blake's mind it must have been like the plodding and purposeful steps of a serial killer after his quarry in a horror movie. Her tiny hands squeezed tightly around his torso, clinging to him for dear life as Sun stepped up to them.

"Hey, Jaune," he greeted warmly. "Rosalyn. Yara," he nodded in turn. "What's up?"

What _was_ up? Sun didn't seem bothered in the slightest by the scene Blake had caused.

"Hey, Sun," he greeted back, looking down at the hands which were clenched tightly around his stomach. "Know anything about this?"

"He's a stalker, Jaune," Blake whimpered pathetically. "Even now I feel his lustful eyes boring into me, stripping me of my clothes and even my flesh as he gazes on the bleached white of my bones, as pure as my very chastity…"

Sun's expression twisted, and Jaune completely understood why he would react in such a way. "What? I didn't do any of that!" he protested. "All I did was wave and say hi!" he said, raising a hand to demonstrate.

"You see?" Blake whispered up into his ear. "You see how he molests me with every wiggle of his phallic-like fingers? Making obscene gestures with his hand, one that wishes to caress my flawless porcelain skin and bring my body to the peak of rapture?"

The blond faunus boy shook his head in utter disbelief. Jaune could relate all too well. "Jaune, bro, you have to believe me. I didn't do any of that."

Jaune believed him wholeheartedly. He wasn't that kind of guy. And Blake wasn't exactly the type to play the role of the victim…

"Even now I feel his lustful stares, raping me with his lecherous eyes…"

"Jaune I swear all I did was smile and wave!" Sun insisted.

"Looks like Sun has a naughty side," Yang grinned. "I never thought I'd see the day where Blake was the one to run for her life…"

Of course Yang was excited. She believed Sun to be incredibly strong due to his influence over the black-haired girl. It was one of the things which helped them form an almost immediate bond upon first arriving at Beacon.

This presented an interesting opportunity. With all the pieces in place, Jaune finally had a chance to live up to his end of the bargain he'd struck with Blake. With a heavy sigh he turned to glance back at her, who even now peered fearfully over his shoulder at Sun.

"I believe you, Blake," he lied.

An anguished cry forced him to turn back to Sun, who had an expression of utter betrayal on his face. "Bro…" he whispered.

It hurt, but it had to be done. It was for the greater good. Jaune mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' to the boy, hoping that he'd get his point across.

"Roz, Yara," he said, earning the attention of his girlfriend and her sister. "Can you go with Sun for a little while? Hang out, have some fun?" In other words, distract him from Blake.

Ruby didn't look too pleased at the request, but nodded all the same. "Sure."

Yang on the other hand looked thrilled. "Fun," she echoed, grinning at the boy who was still reeling from the stunning betrayal of his blond bro. "That means you and me get to fight again, monkey-man. I hope you're ready for an ass-kicking. I'll have to fight for Blake 'cause she's too scared to do it herself.

Even as Yang marched forward and linked an arm around Sun's to drag him away, he still shook from the shocking turn of events. "But I didn't do anything…" he said innocently.

As if watching a condemned man being led to his execution, Jaune saw Yang leading Sun toward the training hall with Ruby in tow. After a few seconds Jaune was left alone with Blake, who still clung to his back in fear.

"My hero," she whispered gratefully.

Reaching down to her hands, he pried them off with his own and turned around to regard the girl. "If Sun was really chasing after you, couldn't you have just escaped into the shadows as soon as you lost sight of him?"

All traces of fear vanished from her face, and Blake's lips curled into a satisfied grin. "The shadows aren't you, Jaune." She came close again, wrapping her hands up around the back of his neck and pressing her chest against his.

He sighed. "I think it's safe to let go of me now, Blake."

"But your shadow is the only one I want enveloping me…" she purred.

"I figured."

"Forgive the adoring beast."

"I'll forgive her if she lets go of me."

With a pout and a glare Blake released him, taking step back and wrapping her arms around herself. She rubbed them as if trying to relieve herself of a chill, closing her eyes and shuddering. "What a terrible, cruel human you are, throwing me to the wolves after such a traumatic encounter. If you'd be the one to cut me, I'll bleed forever…"

"How poetic," he deadpanned. "Maybe Sun wasn't too far off with his goth poetry…"

Golden eyes snapped open once more. "Clingy little faunus…" she growled.

"Kind of like you, wouldn't you say?"

"Don't you _ever_ compare me to that vile mongrel. He would have never made it in the White Fang."

It truly was astounding to Jaune just how much Blake hated Sun. All because he was a happy-go-lucky guy with a heart of gold. "I don't think I've ever heard of a faunus who hates their own kind." The second part of her statement just hit him. "Wait, White Fang? Were you in the White Fang, Blake?"

"Why yes, Jaune," she grinned. "I was a terrorist."

"Like, an actual terrorist? Not just someone who terrorizes me?"

Hissing laughter sounded, her wide, toothy grin on full display as she peered up at him. "That may be the sweetest thing you've ever said, darling. It means so much to me that you treasure our relationship."

From some twisted perspective, Jaune could see why Blake thought that terrorizing him counted as love. "Of course. Like how I just saved you from the terrible fate of being… stalked by Sun."

"Oh it was horrible, Jaune," she cried dramatically. Exaggeratedly. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there to rescue me."

"I'm sure you would have managed," he sighed.

"But you _saved_ me," she continued, emphasizing the word which he'd said to her so many times in the past. "You have no idea the delight I took in his misery when you betrayed him. The sheer agony which ate away at him when you took my word over his. Oh, Jaune, you really do know how to make me feel a tingle in my loins…"

"You might say you owe me one, then."

Blake took a deep, shuddering breath as she stared up excitedly into his eyes. "Oh, my, is my darling boy finally going to call me to his bedchamber to claim his just reward? How darkly manipulative of you, holding your favor over a lady's head like a sword dangling on a thread."

Her hands reached up to wrap around his neck again, but Jaune stopped them by taking her wrists. "I think you know what I want, Blake."

She looked left and right at her arms which were now firmly in his grasp. "He wishes to pin me down and ravage my poor, virgin body," she whispered. "How deliciously naughty of you. I can't promise that I won't scream, only that they will be cries of ecstasy as you take me over and over again…"

Something told Jaune she wasn't a virgin. It may have even been Blake herself, once upon a time. He couldn't recall the exact moment right now.

"Cinder, Blake," he clarified pointedly. "I want to know about what Cinder did to the CCT."

She glared up at him, anger visible on her face. "He speaks of another woman when his attention should be on only me…" she whispered bitterly. "Sharing multiple girls has ruined your sense of romance, Jaune."

"I kept Sun away from you," he pressed, ignoring her taunts. "What was Cinder doing the night of the dance?"

Blake sighed. A soft, guttural growl hummed in her throat as her shoulders slumped. "No fun, no fun at all…" she grumbled bitterly. "Cinder," she began, letting the word hang in the air as Jaune stared at her. "I saw what Cinder did that night when she thought she was alone. When she thought she was unseen."

"What was she doing? What did she do to the CCT tower?"

Her face was deliberately pointed away from him as she spoke. Like she was too upset with him to give him the privilege of making eye contact. "She uploaded a virus into the tower. One crafted by our very own Professor Watts."

A virus? Jaune's face twisted in thought and confusion. What was she planning on doing with a virus in the CCT system?

"Why?" he pressed. "What does the virus do, Blake?"

"I don't know," she answered, seemingly honestly. Golden eyes flicked back to regard his own. "I infiltrate and observe, not hack."

Perhaps he was asking too much of the girl. Still, at least he had _something_ now. Cinder, for whatever reason, was going to hack the CCT network. But for what? To shut down communications? To broadcast her own message? The possibilities were almost limitless, and Jaune had no one he could ask but the woman herself. Something told him it would be very bad if he let her know that he was onto her plans.

"Can you keep spying on them?" he wondered, releasing his hold on her wrists and letting them fall to her sides. "Can you find out more?"

"Can I steal her scroll?" she asked in turn. He wasn't sure if it was rhetorical or if she was asking permission to do so.

"If you think it's safe," he replied. "She knows you're here now. I don't want to risk you getting in trouble or hurt by taking her scroll."

The words put a smile back on the hybrid's face, and her arms came back up to wrap around herself where she swayed back and forth. "He cares, he cares," she muttered happily to herself. A hand came up to shield her face, gently pushing her head to turn away from him. "Cares for little old me, the shy, black cat…"

There was nothing shy about Blake, but he wasn't about to rain on her parade if the thought made her happy. "Don't do anything dangerous, Blake. I still need to save you, remember?"

"Never, my love," she said dreamily, reaching up to place her hands on his shoulders. She used them for leverage as she leaned up to bring her lips to his ear. "We must survive, remember? A life together awaits us after all the dust has settled and the smoke has cleared…"

She came back down, grinning as she stared intently at him with glimmering eyes.

"That's… great," he said uneasily.

"I will continue to observe," she promised. "Cinder may know I am here, but the others may not. Even if they do, they will never see me…" Her tongue, longer than what should have been humanly possible, came out to lick her lips. "There's an adorable little woman on Professor Fall's team who's oh so fun to toy with. I've never seen her speak, Jaune. Do you think I can make her scream?"

"Please don't."

She laughed softly. "Why not? She's evil, isn't she? Shouldn't evil be punished?"

What was most telling about her question was that Blake didn't seem to consider herself to be evil. "Do you consider yourself good then? Justice, or something like that?"

"Justice," she echoed, mulling over the word as her eyes glanced off in thought. She spun on a heel, and turned her head back before taking a step. "Once, I had a dream. And that was it."

With those words she walked away, seemingly content with whatever she'd gotten from this whole exchange.

Jaune was content as well. Now he at least knew what he was dealing with from Cinder. The question was, how did he move forward? How did he deal with a virus when he had no ability to deal with it? Who did he inform when he would have no knowledge of Beacon's CCT tower being infected with a virus to begin with?

With the Vytal Festival only a couple of weeks away, he knew he had to think of a way to deal with this before things got too hectic.

* * *

Life was perfect. At least, as perfect as it could be under their current circumstances.

As Winter slowly walked down the sidewalk, she stole a sideways glance at the sister beside her. Sister. _Sister!_ For the first time in forever, she had her sister back. Not Wren Slate. Not the monster who wore white flesh and spouted a horn from her forehead. No, the girl beside her was Weiss Schnee. Even if she didn't remember that truth.

Sporting a Haven Academy uniform, the black of the attire clashed starkly with her snow-white hair. Perhaps after they ate Winter would take her shopping to find some more appropriate clothing. It made sense that she possessed nothing beyond what had been provided to her by those who had sent her here. She wasn't expected to go gallivanting around town with her long-lost sister. However, now that she had the opportunity to do so, Winter would not let it slip through her fingers.

It was strange. For much of her life she had longed for the chance to see Weiss again. To speak to her again. To reunite their shattered family and be sisters together. Yet now that she was here, now that her sister had been returned to her, she didn't know what to say. What did you say to one who had grown up in the care of an ancient and monstrous evil? How did you make small talk with a young woman who hid a dark, bestial side beneath her human flesh? How did _Jaune_ of all people manage it? How did he get so close with her dear sister, while Winter herself felt like a stranger while side by side with her own blood?

Winter supposed that it was best to say something, _anything_ , to get the ball rolling. "Tell me, Weiss," she began, her hands clasped behind her back as she walked. "How are you adjusting to the human world?"

Weiss turned to regard her, peering up with those oh so familiar blue Schnee eyes. Her icy stare sent a chill down Winter's spine. "There are many things about Vale which I find agreeable," she said. "Particularly the food. Human cuisine is simply delightful, and it alone is worth saving the kingdoms from the ravages of the Grimm."

The elder Schnee didn't quite know how to respond to that last part. She supposed it was a good thing that Weiss didn't want to see Vale or any of the other kingdoms destroyed, right?

She chose instead to respond to the other part of her sister's answer. "Yes, food is wonderful," she agreed. "As much as we need it to survive, people often elevate it to an art form in order to create the most satisfying taste sensations imaginable. It truly is remarkable what we're able to achieve when we have free time to experiment."

Winter was a woman who appreciated the arts. Be it opera or cuisine, she had grown up used to the finer things in life. Hopefully exposing Weiss to them would help her do the same. Her dear younger sister would be won over to the side of humanity through their works and achievements, and not wish to see society torn down by the dark queen of the Grimm.

She saw how Weiss had come to hold her hands behind her back as she walked as well. Doing her best to emulate her big sister, perhaps? The thought brought a coy smile to Winter's lips as she avoided staring for too long. She didn't want Weiss to feel uncomfortable.

"I was taught that humans were wasteful and petty beings," Weiss explained. "What I was taught in a classroom and the reality of the world seem to be very different. Seeing, and tasting humanity's creations have given me much to consider."

Winter chuckled. How true that was, for more than just Weiss' own apparent lessons. "All the education in the world can never hope to match real-world experience."

"Yes. Like how Professor Callows' documentaries could have never prepared me for the experiences of mating with Jaune."

The Specialist nearly choked on her own tongue at the mention of her sweet, confused sister mentioning her relationship with the human boy. Still, she had found love. As disgusted as she was by the thought of it, perhaps her love for Jaune was something that was helping her establish a firm hold on her humanity. Loathe as she was to admit it, Weiss being in a romantic relationship with a human might be for the best…

Though that didn't mean she had to stand here and talk about it. Deciding to change the subject, Winter steered the conversation in a direction about _other_ humans who might help Weiss regain her humanity. Besides herself, there were other people out there who would want to reunite with their own blood.

"Tell me, what do you remember about your past?" Winter asked. "Before you were taken. Before you were… changed."

Weiss frowned, her eyes glancing down to the pavement as they walked. "Nothing, really," she admitted sadly. "Only what I was taught by my mother."

 _That monster is not your mother,_ Winter thought bitterly. As much as she wanted to say as much, she didn't want to provoke Weiss either. Challenging her whole worldview at once could have disastrous consequences.

"Understandable," Winter said diplomatically. "You were very young when you were stolen from us. Even I was but a child when the word came that your airship had been attacked. I…" she choked, holding back tears which had long since dried up. "I cried for months following the loss of my dear baby sister."

"Cried…" the hybrid mused. "When your eyes leak, either due to great sorrow or sometimes even happiness."

"I can assure you, I'd never felt greater sorrow before in my life," Winter whispered. "Nor have I since. But upon hearing that you were alive, I cried tears of joy." She smiled warmly as she looked down to Weiss. "When I first saw you in Beacon's courtyard, squabbling with your friends, I nearly lost control of myself. There you were, my long lost sister, alive and well. Happy with her friends. You can't have imagined the happiness I felt in that moment, and the tears it brought to my eyes."

Winter felt herself beginning to lose control even as she recounted the memory, and was forced to wipe away fresh tears with her hand as they walked. A glance back down at Weiss showed her staring up in wonder, mouth slightly open with awe.

"These emotions, all for me," she said quietly. "A confusing mixture of positive and negative. I don't know what to make of them."

Winter wasn't the best at expressing or explaining her emotions either. However, actions spoke louder than words ever could. She reached out and grabbed Weiss' left hand with her right, squeezing down on her fingers.

"They mean I love you, Weiss," she smiled, fresh liquid building up in her eyes. "I love my dear sister more than anything or anyone else in the world. And I will stop at nothing to ensure that our family is reunited, and that you're returned the life which was stolen from you all those years ago."

"Our family," Weiss echoed. "Like a pack."

Winter frowned at the comparison, speaking of familial bonds like they were Grimm. She supposed that was simply what Weiss was used to. While she would prefer to break Weiss of that mindset, she knew that this would have to be done slowly. She would indulge in her sister's choice of words for now.

"Yes."

"Winter, what's our pack like? Who's our alpha? Do we have other kin?"

The question gave Winter pause. The alpha of the Schnee 'pack' would undoubtedly be their father. The manipulative, emotionally-abusive man who had married into the family for wealth and power. As bad a human who had ever lived, and one she did not want Weiss to judge all of humanity on.

Then there was their mother. Broken years ago by the death of her daughter, and following a heated argument with the man who was supposed to love her, driven to drink. A beacon of negativity should any Grimm ever have the opportunity to get near her. Luckily she lived a life of luxury and excess, and needed not fear the likes of those beasts.

Winter wondered how Weiss would perceive her parents, if Weiss was corrupted like the Grimm. Would she sense their negativity, and be drawn to them like a moth to the flame?

"Our family," she began, choosing to use the broadest but still truthful explanation as she could muster. "Has a long and storied past. Our name is synonymous with the kingdom of Atlas, and we own the largest and most profitable company in all of Remnant." She smiled amusedly at the thought that came next. "One might say that we're the closest thing that Remnant has to royalty these days."

The last bit earned an impressed smile from Weiss, who looked quite pleased with herself. "I always knew that I was destined for greatness, but this merely confirms it. I am more than merely Weiss, the most beautiful and intelligent of all of Salem's children. I am Weiss Schnee, Princess of Atlas and heiress to the Schnee throne."

It seemed that Weiss took the whole royalty part a little too literally. Not wanting to burst her bubble completely, Winter _did_ have to correct her on one thing. "Actually, your little brother Whitley would be considered the heir to the Schnee Dust Company."

The words forced the smile from Weiss' face, but rather than anger, she was filled with surprise as her mouth opened in awe. "I have a brother?"

Winter smiled. "You do. A little brother, fourteen years old now. He's… quite the spitting image of his father," she said gloomily.

"I must meet him then!" Weiss declared thrusting a finger up to the sky in emphasis. "The throne is rightfully mine, being older than him!" Her determined eyes turned to Winter, the intensity giving the Specialist cause. "Unless you wish to challenge my claim as well."

This had taken a sudden turn. Winter had to deescalate the situation, and fast. "No, Weiss, I am no longer in contention to inherit the family company," she admitted. "When I joined the military I gave up all such rights. My career path is set. I am a soldier and a huntress, nothing more."

Weiss seemed to relax after the confession, as if a rival had just been removed from the board. "Then I wish to secure your assistance when I muster an army to retake my throne. The older sibling always trumps the younger one, isn't that right?"

Technically, yes. Though… having your long lost Grimm hybrid daughter return from the dead to challenge your son's inheritance was likely to go over as well as saying that the faunus should rule over the kingdom of Atlas.

"Our brother isn't an enemy, Weiss," Winter instead chose to say. "In fact… I believe he needs your help."

Weiss pointed to herself, blinking with confusion. "My help? Why? He has you, doesn't he?"

Winter sighed. "He doesn't. I'm afraid my military duties don't allow me to be the older sister I should be. The one both you and he deserve. As I look back on my decision to join the Atlesian military, I find myself regretting the decision more every day…"

Whitley had been all but abandoned to his parents. His dysfunctional parents. One of which sought to corrupt him into a younger, greedy version of himself, the other who kept him at a distance emotionally. What he needed was someone to love him. Someone to be there for him. To show him that his father was not the only person in the world who cared for him.

He needed Weiss. He needed a sister who hadn't already turned tail and fled.

"I would very much like to meet him then," Weiss thankfully said. "And I will help him by first relieving him of the stressful duties of inheriting a company that I would be far better suited to run."

Winter had no idea where Weiss got the notion that she was somehow more qualified to inherit the Schnee Dust Company than her brother, but that fact that she was now so laser-focused on the thought of it was a little bit amusing. At least she was thinking about family and human issues. They would cross the Whitley bridge when they finally got there. They just had to get past all the real issues first.

Speaking of finally getting there, the sisters had finally arrived at the restaurant which Winter had picked out for them. It would have of course been easier and quicker to get a ride from a taxi directly to the location, but Winter had also wanted more opportunity to speak with Weiss in private. At least as private as the streets of Vale could get. However, the great thing about discussing horribly classified information which no one else knew about was that even when you spoke about it in public, no one had any idea what you were talking about. She could mention Salem by name and those around her might think she was referring to some movie or video game villain.

With reservations already made, a waiter led the pair to their table where they took their seats across from each other. After being handed menus and glasses of water, the man gave them a respectful nod, noting that he would be back in a few minutes to take their orders once they'd decided.

Opening up the menu, Winter's eyes scanned the entrees noting numerous chicken and steak dinners. She was in a rather steaky mood tonight.

The voice of her sister broke her from her concentration. "Winter?"

Lowering the large, laminated menu, Winter regarded her little sister. "Yes?"

"Which steak will have the most bone in it?"

The question gave her pause. Frankly, she was a bit surprised Weiss even knew what steak was. She wondered just how much she had learned at her old academy, and how much Jaune might have taught her. "Probably the T-bone. Why?"

Weiss nodded, closing her menu and setting it aside on the table. "Then that is what I shall get. T-bone steak."

That particular cut of meat did sound appealing right now. With her own mind made up, Winter closed her menu as well. "I'll have the same." It seemed appropriate for her and her sister to have the same meal. Like it would add to their bonding experience somehow.

"Excellent," Weiss stated excitedly. A wide grin curled on her lips. It was contagious, and Winter found herself smiling warmly in response, and took a sip from her water in order to shield the expression. "Does this mean that you'll bone with me?"

Winter nearly choked on her water at the question, and coughed after choking down the liquid. "Excuse me?"

"I…" Weiss began uneasily, pale blue eyes averted as Winter stared at her in horror. "I was hoping that you and I could bone together," she explained softly. Innocently. As if it were not a horrible and taboo subject to broach.

Winter knew that her sister had… experience in matters of the bedroom. She knew that her sister and Jaune were an item. Brothers only knew if Weiss had similar experiences with Ruby, seeing how they were all in a relationship together. However, what Weiss was asking about went beyond anything normal or acceptable in human society.

"Weiss… I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but that sort of thing is highly taboo in our society…"

Weiss nodded, as if she knew that she was doing wrong, but felt the urge to do so anyway. "I figured as much… it's just… Ruby and Yang used to do it all the time back at Grimm Academy."

Winter would certainly never look at the redhead and blonde girls the same way again. Just what kind of sick, twisted, and depraved creature was Salem? Who in their right mind would stand by while siblings did… that… together?

"How do you know this?" Winter asked with morbid curiosity.

"I saw them, of course," Weiss explained. Nervous eyes glanced up, catching Winter's own with their gaze. "Ruby said it was one way Yang showed her love for her."

It went without saying that this sort of affection was strictly off-limits for Winter and Weiss. She could hardly believe that the other two girls could so brazenly show their lustful affections for each other so easily and readily. "They… did it in front of you?"

"In front of the whole school. While sitting in the cafeteria eating our meals."

 _Dinner and a show,_ Winter thought disgustedly. Truly Salem was a vile and reprehensible monster who had to be vanquished at all costs. Not least of all for corrupting her sweet, innocent baby sister's mind with such impure and deviant thoughts.

The elder sister sought to compose herself, taking a deep breath and folding her hands on the table. "Weiss, dear. I'm afraid such behavior between family members is something which is forbidden in the human kingdoms." _Outside of certain fetish videos online…_ her mind followed up.

Weiss nodded gravely. "I understand."

Winter leaned in, speaking low with her next question. "Tell me, did you make such a request simply because of the actions of your friends? Or do you find me…" She couldn't even bring herself to utter the question.

"Find you what, Winter?"

"Do you find me… desirable?"

"Of course you are very desirable," Weiss answered, shattering Winter's hopes and dreams. "You are tall, strong, and of good stock. You possess a powerful family bloodline. Not to mention that white hair and blue eyes are by far the most attractive color combination a human could possess."

The last part was absolutely driven her own ego, Winter had no doubt. Still, while listing off all of her good qualities, Weiss still hadn't said that _she_ herself found Winter desirable.

Deciding to simply bite the bullet, Winter asked the question she never would have thought she would utter to her younger sister. "What I'm asking, Weiss, is… do you wish to engage in carnal relations with me because your friends did? Or because you desire me?"

She felt filthy for asking the questions. The way Weiss' face scrunched up in horror and disgust made her somehow feel impossibly worse. "W-Winter! That's disgusting!"

On one hand relief washed over the Specialist. On the other… Weiss was now staring at her like she was a complete pervert.

"I may not know everything about human society yet, but even I know that siblings mating together is vile. Is this something that humans engage in often?"

"No, Weiss. I believe there has been a colossal misundersta-"

"I am flattered, albeit perplexed that you would ask such a thing of me, but as I have told others I am taken. Jaune is my one and only mate."

Winter was about to respond with yet more sputtered explanations and denials. Perhaps it was a mercy that the waiter returned to take their orders.

At the very least, Winter believed that what Weiss had said about Ruby and Yang was untrue. At least, untrue in the way she had interpreted it in being. However, this knowledge had come at a cost. Weiss now believed her to be interested in a totally inappropriate manner.

Once the waiter had left, Winter made sure to make her sister aware of how untrue that was. "For the record, I was merely testing you," she lied through her teeth. "To see if you were aware of the fact that… humans do not engage in incest. And you passed with flying colors."

Weiss audibly sighed in relief, and a smile returned to her worried face. "You had me quite worried for a minute there, Winter. Here I thought you wished to mate with me."

"No, never," Winter said honestly. Now she wanted clarification for herself. "However, you said that Ruby and Yang… did so."

"I said nothing of the sort!"

"You said that the two of them boned each other." Winter could hardly believe such crude language was slipping past her lips.

"Yes, cracking bones open for marrow," Weiss stated matter-of-factly. "I assumed that is what it meant to bone when I read about humans doing it together."

Winter wanted to laugh at her sweet sister's innocence. What a horribly amusing misunderstanding it had been. She shook her head, smiling as she corrected her poor little sister. "No, Weiss. You see, in human society, 'boning' is a euphemism for sex."

Amusement on Weiss' own face turned to confusion. "That makes no sense. I assure you that Jaune's penis has no bone in it. I've inspected it quite thoroughly myself."

Winter sighed. Well, at least this topic of conversation was better than their misunderstanding.

This was going to be a very eventful dinner. But if it meant spending the evening with Weiss, she would gladly have it that way.

* * *

She was used to the finer things in life ever since she'd been rescued. This was most certainly not that.

The cold, filthy, and dark warehouse was a safe house, and it was not expected to be a place of comfort and luxury. All around her were crates of dust, stolen from all over the kingdom of Vale by her business partner. Roman Torchwick being useful was good enough reason for him to live, and the fact that he knew his place gave him a chance to live after everything was said and done. He didn't seek to rise above his station, certainly not higher than herself. All he was concerned with was staying alive.

Once upon a time, that had been her only dream as well.

Cinder Fall strode through the building, her only company at this time of night being the rats which gnawed on whatever scraps and crumbs had been dropped by the White Fang workers who Roman was employing. His part of the plan was proceeding with no obstacles. At least that made one of them.

Her face twisted with a snarl as Cinder reached a crate which did not contain dust. A crate which not even Roman knew existed, for to him it was just one among hundreds. To Cinder, however, it was a lifeline back to her master. Back to the woman who had given her so much more than mere scraps and crumbs. The one who had saved her from a life of weakness and despair.

Unlocking the metal door, it swung open to reveal a sight which would have terrified nearly every human and faunus on the planet. To Cinder, however, it was simply business as usual.

The floating orb which comprised most of the Seer's body came to life, and from somewhere within it clicking and chirping noises echoed in the warehouse as it greeted its own master.

Cinder gazed upon her reflection, her lip curleing into a cruel scowl as she stared into the empty globe. Her own face was soon replaced by one colored pallid white, streaked with twisting black veins.

"Mistress," she greeted respectfully, bowing her head before the woman's face in the Seer's body. "I've come to report my progress here in Vale."

Clicking and chittering sounded, followed by the voice of Salem herself. "Speak freely, Cinder."

She nodded. "They are becoming unruly. Their loyalties now lie with him over me." Anger burned in Cinder's eyes as she spoke to the Seer before her. "Everything is going as you predicted. They even threatened my life to protect him! Of all the indignities." Salem hummed an amused laugh in response. Cinder flinched. "I do not see what's so humorous about this. This could put my own plans in jeopardy."

"Your plans are secondary to my own. You would do well to remember that."

Lowering her head, she bowed slightly. "Of course, your wishes come first. No harm will befall the Arc child. As for my own plans, the virus has been implanted. Torchwick is in place. Come time, I will bring the Kingdom of Vale to its knees. The relic will be yours, as will the power you seek. I promise you."

"I expect nothing less from you, Cinder." A warm, almost motherly smile graced the lips of the ancient woman. "How are my daughters adjusting to life in the human kingdoms?"

"The girls? Though they've made friends, they are struggling to fit in perfectly, as you expected. Yang barely keeps her temper. Weiss nearly slaughtered other students. Worst of all, Blake somehow managed to sneak here with them. She's going to ruin ev-"

"I know she's there," Salem interrupted.

"You knew? Why haven't-"

"You needn't worry about her for much longer. I've already dispatched an old friend in order to retrieve her. She will be back home soon.

An old friend. Cinder certainly did not anticipate this reunion. However, she knew she would have to coordinate with him in order to set a trap for Blake. "Yes, that would be… pleasant. As soon as he can. I fear that Beacon's authorities may be on to us. Winter Schnee and Qrow Branwen are here."

Salem appeared unconcerned. Cinder wished she could feel the same way. "All eyes are upon them, rather than you. Let them fawn over their long lost loved ones. Jaune will do everything in his power to keep them safe. He knows that failing to do so will result in their deaths. By the time Ozpin realizes what's truly going on here it will be too late."

"Yes," Cinder agreed, thinking of what was yet to come. "I agree."

"And how is dear Ruby doing in all of this?"

"She's doing well. She's made fast friends with Ironwood's creation and is sickeningly friendly and outgoing. Of all of them, she has adjusted the easiest. As always, you were right."

"Very good. Keep me updated on your progress." The Seer stopped glowing, floating back deeper into the crate, its true master deeming its work finished.

Cinder glowered at it. "You are always right, of course."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This chapter contained my three favorite things to write in this story. Ruby fluff. Weiss humor. And Blake... whatever it is we'd call Blake here. Despite how much I love White Knight and Lancaster, and how much I love writing Weiss and Ruby, Blake's personality in this story has somehow emerged as my favorite thing to write in it. She's nothing like her canon self, and I like her better this way. I doubt I'm the only one who feels that way too.

As always I want to thank all of you for your continued support, and it's because of all of you that I've been inspired to keep going with this story to make it the longest once I've ever written. We're on the road to 300,000 words here, and that'll be breaking new ground for me. Your kind words and support keep me inspired, and I love seeing what you have to say regarding this tale.

And of course my thanks go out to **Burkion** and **Lightningstrxu** for all of their help and support as well. Couldn't have made it this far without them, and my whole Discord server too.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reading.


	34. Chapter 34

The obnoxious chirping of a scroll roused her from her slumber. Flipping over onto her stomach, Raven Branwen buried her face into the pillow to seek refuge from the sound, her still half-asleep brain concluding that this was a logical form of escape.

The ringing continued, however, and after long, harsh seconds of noise she finally realized that she had to act in order to silence the intrusion on her sleep.

Even back in her Beacon days Raven had been a stubborn sleeper. Never one to set an alarm, and always one to have to be roused from her slumber by others, every morning had been a battle where it'd taken her partner all he had to wake her and drag her from bed in order to attend class. Not before sometimes spending some time together in it, however…

Reluctantly Raven removed the arm she'd coiled around her husband who lay next to her, and rolled back over onto her back. Crimson eyes opened to greet the morning, and she reached over to the small table beside the bed in order to grab the scroll. It took all she had not to simply crush the device in her hand in order to silence it.

Her bleary vision didn't matter, and even in her dazed state she could read the name on the caller ID with crystal clarity. For a brief moment she pondered setting a special ring tone for the man so that she wouldn't have to waste the energy to pick up her scroll whenever he called.

Raven declined the call with a single push of the thumb. Setting the scroll back on the table, she curled up closer to Taiyang, draping an arm back over his midsection and snuggling close to his back. Eager to fall back asleep, she formed the big spoon to his little one, molding her body against his and pressing her forehead to his back to block out the light streaming in through the curtains of their bedroom.

The soothing smell of her husband and gentle rising and falling of his back were enough to lull the woman back to the brink of dreamland. Thoughts of her twin brother evaporated as sleep tugged at the edges of her mind. She could get away with a couple more hours on this lazy Saturday morning.

Until the gentle squeak of the bedroom door sounded. A part of her hoped it was merely her imagination, but a greater part was filled with joy when a light weight pressed down on the foot of the bed.

"Mom!" the young voice sounded, snapping Raven awake in an instant.

Raven rolled away from Tai once more, and this time not an ounce of annoyance littered her mind from the disturbance. A smiling child knelt below his parents legs, his eager and happy smile warmer than the morning sun that filtered through the window. Short but messy black hair had been a gift from his mother's side of the family, but his bright robin-blue eyes were the spitting image of his father. Her sweet eight year old Robin was her pride and joy in this world, the best parts of both his parents. The boy who'd been able to drag his father back from the jaws of death and give him purpose and meaning in life once more.

"Robin," she said wearily, a strained expression on her face as she sat up in bed. A hand came up to rub the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes, and a wide, involuntary yawn gave her all the appearance of the fierce lioness that she was. "Are we out of cereal, dear?"

Domestic life was never what Raven thought she would have wanted. She was a free bird. A bandit leader. Strong. But all that strength meant nothing when her daughter was turned into the abomination she was. When Taiyang was on the verge of ending it all. She used that strength in a new way. Compassion. Since then she had given birth to another child, someone for Tai to live for. He had managed to salvage his life. It was better he didn't know what happened to his little girls. All that mattered now was his last human child.

Her little boy shook his head. "No. I was eating some and watching The New Adventures of Pumpkin Pete and Friends and then someone came to the front door."

Who would have the audacity to solicit them so early on a Saturday morning? Harsh thoughts on how to deal with such a nuisance threatened to stomp on the warm and gentle demeanor she held for her sweet baby boy.

Swinging her legs out of bed, Raven found her slippers on the floor before standing up. Grabbing a black robe to cover her rather immodest sleepwear, she moved toward the bedroom door. "You did the right thing to wake me up," she told him. She'd always taught Robin never to answer the door for strangers. At least not until he was old enough to have his Aura unlocked and begin training. "Mommy will take care of him."

"It's Uncle Qrow!" Robin said with unrestrained joy. "He's here to see you!"

In an instant Raven's mind was clouded with a whirlwind of emotions. She didn't know which was worse. Some random stranger trying to sell her something, or her brother. At least with the salesman she could threaten and if need be, beat them into submission to her heart's content. There wasn't a mortal being on the face of Remnant who could stand toe to toe with the fully realized power of a Maiden. Her brother on the other hand…

"Did you let him in?" she asked as the pair made their way down the hallway and to the stairs. Before she could receive her son's answer, however, she saw her brother sitting on the couch in her living room.

Robin bounded down the stairs two at a time ahead of his mother and reached the couch where he jumped up next to his uncle, sharing a warm embrace with the man. Not even the heartwarming display could remove the frown from Raven's lips. She had never gotten along well with Qrow. While she would tolerate his presence for Robin's sake, it didn't mean she was happy to see him.

"Hello, brother," she greeted with as much warmth as an Atlas snowstorm. "What brings you over _unannounced?_ "

The tone and additional word at the end were lost on her son, but Qrow read her scorn loud and clear. As per usual, he smiled that annoying, smug smirk of his. "I tried calling, but there was no answer."

Tried calling all of two minutes ago. He was probably standing outside the cabin when he called. It was just like her brother to show up unannounced and unwanted. At least he hadn't slipped in through the window in his bird form before surprising her. Had it not been for Robin's presence in the home, he probably would have resorted to such a thing.

"So, Muscles," Qrow said to Robin, using the boy's favorite nickname. "Why don't you show me how strong you've gotten since I last saw you?"

Robin brought his arms up, flexing biceps which simply weren't there yet, but was none the wiser to this fact as Qrow acted as though he were some sort of bodybuilder.

"Whoa, slow down there, kiddo. Pretty soon you're gonna be able to beat me and your old man together in a wrestling match." He looked up at his sister. "What are you feeding this kid, Raven? He's gonna be huge!"

Robin giggled with delight at the praise, wanting nothing more than to be big and strong like his father and uncle. There was a time when Raven would have groomed such a mindset in her child. A time when her only concern in life had been strength. However, that had been before her mistake. Before events were set into motion which had nearly destroyed her entire family.

All she wanted now was for her darling boy to grow up healthy and happy. Strong, yes. But a huntsman? No. Never.

She would never surrender her surviving child to Ozpin's war. Not after what the wizard's immortal foe had done to her daughter…

Raven pushed the thought away as she watched her son and brother play fight on the couch together. Qrow, to his credit, was great with the boy, and allowed himself to be defeated by his nephew. The sight was almost enough to make her forget the disdain she held for Ozpin's loyal lapdog. She would be wary in the future, however. There might come a time when Qrow would try and convince his young and naïve nephew to follow in his footsteps and attend Beacon Academy. To become a huntsman just like his mother and father. Should that day ever come, she would not hesitate to use her true power in order to put her brother in his place.

Speaking of Beacon, Raven had a feeling that Qrow wasn't here so early in the morning just to play with Robin. "So what can I do for you, Qrow?"

The man sat back upright on the couch, and the warm gaze he'd held for Robin died when it focused on Raven. "What, a guy can't just stop by and say hi to his family?"

 _My family,_ Raven thought possessively. _My son. My husband. We don't need your luck in our lives._ Such bitter words never passed her lips, however. "At eight in the morning on a Saturday," she replied with barely-contained annoyance.

"Well, it's important," he said. With those three words the humor on his voice slipped away as well, and Raven was left staring at the harbinger of misfortune she knew all too well. A shudder passed over her body when she realized that this crow brought only bad news. Truly a creature such as himself was only a bringer of ill omens. "Maybe the two of us could speak in private somewhere."

Too serious to discuss in front of Robin. Probably Tai as well. She didn't know what, but she knew that she wanted them to have nothing to do with whatever calamity Qrow was about to bring to them. She would hear him out, and then send him on his way. It would be easier to do alone and outside.

Putting on the best motherly smile she had, Raven turned her attention to her son. "Robin, sweetie. Go wake your father up and tell him that I said to make pancakes."

Robin's face erupted with unbridled happiness, and the boy leapt off the couch. Bare feet thudded gently across the room as he leapt up the stairs on the way to his parent's bedroom.

Raven watched with a smile as he went, but it quickly dropped from her face as soon as she was alone with her brother. All pretenses of friendliness and courtesy were dropped as her venomous gaze fell upon him. "What do you want, Qrow?"

The man stood, and somehow the expression on his face matched, or even surpassed her own. She had no idea what she'd done to earn his ire. She doubted that years of giving him the cold shoulder had finally made him snap. "Like I said, it's important." He spared a look up the stairs that Robin had just gone up. "We need to talk in private."

Though she wore only a robe over her sleeping attire, she didn't much feel like getting dressed. It wasn't like there were people walking around outside her and Tai's cabin. She motioned for him to follow, and the two made their way through the kitchen before exiting through the backdoor.

Early autumn was upon them, though the temperature was still warm. Twigs and dirt crunched underneath the woman's slippers as she and Qrow walked away from the house in silence. The man had his hands annoyingly in his pockets as he moved, and she often wished that his Semblance would kick in and he'd fall flat on his face.

"So what's so important that I deserve a house call from you?" she asked with thinly veiled irritation.

She'd expected some sort of comeback from her brother now that they were in private. Snark was on the table for the man now that Robin couldn't hear him. However, Qrow said nothing. Instead he reached down into his pocket and fished out his scroll.

The lack of a response was almost more annoying than being insulted. Raven's already paper-thin patience was growing ever thinner. "Look, you can come spend time with your nephew whenever you want. But don't assume that you can use it as an excuse to annoy me."

Again, Qrow said nothing. Instead, after a few swipes and presses on the screen of his scroll, he held it up to Raven for her to see.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Her feet stopped in their tracks.

Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

There, in the picture on Qrow's scroll, was the spitting image of a teenage Summer Rose. With her was a girl who if Raven didn't know any better, looked like a younger, blonde-haired version of herself. What her daughter might have once looked like had she not been taken by Salem.

This time it was Raven who was lost for words. This time it was Qrow who pushed for answers. "I had a very similar reaction the first time I saw them," he told her. The venom in his own voice was the likes of which Raven hadn't heard from him since she'd abandoned her husband and daughter seventeen years ago. "Sober, at least," he amended. "Imagine my surprise when I saw two people who were supposed to be dead alive and well. At Beacon Academy no less."

Raven couldn't take her eyes off the blonde girl of the quartet. She didn't know who the boy and the white-haired girl were, but there was no doubt in her mind that she was staring at her own flesh and blood in that picture. If Yang was there, then that had to be Ruby.

"Raven," Qrow said, trying to break her from the daze which held her thoughts. "They're alive."

She nodded absentmindedly. Of course she already knew they were alive. Their true nature, however, was what gave her concern. "So it would seem…" she agreed, feigning ignorance and playing along with the situation.

Qrow sighed and lowered his arm. The image of her lost daughter vanished in the blink of an eye. Much like how she had once done to the girl herself. "I wish you wouldn't lie like that, Raven," he said with more disappointment than anger in his tone.

Red eyes narrowed on their twin counterparts. "What?"

"Way back then, you told us they were dead," he explained. She remembered the conversation all too well. Being forced to lie to her brother as well as her at the time estranged husband about the fate of the children they loved so much. "But they're not. Considering you can make a portal to Yang using your connection to her, you had to know. Why did you lie, Raven?"

She'd had good reason to lie back then. Better to tell them that Yang and Ruby were dead than the truth. Better to believe their suffering had ended than know that they were abominations who'd been twisted into grotesque monsters by Salem herself. They were beyond saving. Beyond the reach of mortal men and women. The armies of Atlas and the powers of the Maidens held no sway in the realm of the Dark Queen.

"Qrow," she whispered. Crimson orbs stared down at the ground, unable to meet her brother's gaze for the first time in her life. "Tell me everything you know about them."

"You don't get to make that demand!" he snapped. The sudden rise of his voice snapped her head up, and for the first time in a very long time there was fury on his face. "Not after what you've done! I know a lot, Raven, but first you're going to tell me what happened the day you found out that Yang and Ruby had gone missing. You tell me what happened when you tried to make a portal to your daughter in order to find and rescue her."

Images flooded back to Raven's mind. Though it'd been a decade ago, the memories were still fresh. A sickly sky of purple and red. Jet black puddles of ooze all around, spawning newly-birthed Grimm from their depths. A twisted palace of black stone. But most horrifyingly of all…

Pale flesh. Pale straw-colored hair. Red eyes so much like her own, yet so different. A pair of horns sprouting from her forehead.

Raven opened her eyes lest they be haunted by the memory of her daughter-turned-monster. Her lips were parted as anxious breaths poured out of them. The fate of her daughter, even one she'd once abandoned, was the worst memory of her life. One she'd tried so desperately to forget, and to her shame, replace with memories of a happy, loving family.

An anxious hand rubbed nervously on her face as she sought some sort of answer that would placate her brother. He claimed to know a lot, but did he know the truth? The whole truth? If she told him everything she knew, would he be able to handle it?

A large and calloused hand took her wrist, but Raven was in no condition to protest. Qrow's other hand came to her shoulder, and some semblance of comfort and care emanated from the man as he stared into her eyes. "Raven," he said softly. The previous anger had lessened. "Please. Tell me what happened. Tell me why you lied about them being dead."

She didn't want to say it. How could she? How could she tell the man who cared so deeply about his nieces what had happened that day?

"Raven… please."

She couldn't meet stand his gaze any longer. Raven broke off eye contact with the man, and her focus fell down onto his shirt. "If you know the truth, then you know what they are."

"And that is?"

Teeth sank into her lower lip briefly before she was able to utter the word. "Monsters," she whispered spitefully. Hateful crimson eyes finally regained their nerve, and Raven stared into her brother's own. "They're not our girls anymore, Qrow. They're monsters."

Truth be told, it would have been better had Yang actually been dead. Better to be dead than be the twisted abomination which Salem had turned her into along with Ruby.

Qrow growled a hum. "Monsters," he echoed. "That's what Winter said too."

She shot him a glare. Who else was in on this secret? "Winter? Who's _Winter,_ Qrow?"

"Winter Schnee," he answered. "A colleague, and more importantly." He pointed to the picture on his scroll, his finger on the white-haired girl. "Weiss Schnee's sister."

Raven recalled stories from years ago detailing the loss of such a high profile individual. An air ship attacked by Grimm. Some of the bodies were never recovered. The young daughter of Jacques and Willow Schnee had been among them. It would seem, however, that she was very much alive. And if her gut instinct was correct, very much in the same boat as Yang and Ruby.

There was a whole collection of them. A team of lost children who had become the grotesque pawns of Salem. "And which long lost kid is the boy?" she asked about the fourth and final team member.

"Jaune Arc. A regular all human boy, believe it or not." Qrow shifted his attention from the screen back to his sister. "And an unwilling pawn in Salem's plan, whatever it is."

It was becoming clear to Raven that there was more to this story than even she could have imagined. Back ten years ago she couldn't have guessed what Salem would do with the children she's stolen. The ones she'd warped in those pools of darkness spawned Grimm. Apparently, however, she had found a way to disguise them as normal looking humans. She'd even recruited an actual human, probably as some sort of handler for them. How and why he had agreed to such a task, she couldn't say.

But could Qrow?

"Does he know?" she wondered. "Who they are? What they are?"

"Oh he knows all right. More than that, he loves those girls. He loves them with all his heart."

Inconceivable. They were little more than beasts in human skin. "And how exactly is a human able to do that? How are they not tearing him limb from limb?"

A long, throaty breath rumbled behind Qrow's closed lips. He didn't sound or appear pleased. "As it turns out, he's Ruby and Weiss' boyfriend. Somehow he's found a way to get through to them and appeal to their humanity."

Raven blinked. "Ruby _and_ Weiss? At the same time?"

Qrow sighed. "Yeah. At the same time…"

Staring at that picture, she couldn't help but compare his shaggy blond hair and deep blue eyes to another man she knew. One who had a reputation as being quite the lady's man back at Beacon. One whom she herself had fallen for all those years ago despite her best efforts.

"It's like Tai all over again…" she whispered.

"Except you and Summer were never with him at the same time," Qrow pointed out.

Raven was about to respond, but in the end declined to speak.

"Raven. This is the part where you agree with me."

The woman remained silent.

"Oh brothers…"

"We're not here to talk about Tai," Raven snapped, eager to change the subject from him and her experimental days back at Beacon Academy.

"No, we're not," Qrow agreed. "However, let's move on to the next lie you told."

Hateful red eyes bored into Qrow's. It was one thing to call her out on something she actually did, but to accuse her of something she hadn't done? That was a line even the former bandit leader deemed too far. "What are you talking about?"

"Summer," he stated flatly, as if she should know what he meant by the name alone.

"Is dead," she finished for him.

"Not according to Jaune."

Raven hated surprises. She'd already dealt with more than her fair share on this early morning. This one, however, was perhaps the biggest one of all. While she'd known about Yang and Ruby's fates all along, she could honestly say she believed Summer to be dead.

"How?" she asked genuinely.

Qrow shrugged. "I don't know. But he said she was being kept prisoner by Salem."

So was Salem just collecting specimens now? It made no sense to Raven. Why keep the woman alive for all these years? When the woman had first gone missing, Raven hadn't cared. Her falling out with the rest of her team had left her isolated with her tribe in Mistral. Whatever Ozpin and his little cabal did was none of her concern. If they'd decided to dig their own graves fighting his war, they could lie in them. She wouldn't risk her life trying to save them from themselves or their manipulative wizard.

"I didn't know," Raven said truthfully. However in the end it didn't matter. If Summer wanted to sacrifice herself for a war she couldn't win, that was her choice. Raven was a proponent of free will. More so, she did not clean up other people's messes. "That's unfortunate."

"That's it?" Qrow asked. He sounded more insulted than angry when he spoke. "That's all you have to say about someone who used to be your friend? Someone who needs our help?"

"Then help her," she snapped. "Go to Ozpin and form a rescue party. Just don't come crying to me when more of you die or fall into Salem's clutches."

"Ozpin doesn't know," he said softly. Darkly. Qrow's eyes were focused on the ground. Like he was too ashamed to even look at her face as he admitted his guilt. "He doesn't know about the girls either."

On one hand Raven was pleased that Qrow was finally starting to learn that Ozpin couldn't be trusted. On the other, it would feel oh so good to gloat about Qrow's own hypocrisy and deceit.

"So this whole conversation has been the pot calling the kettle black I see," she said, her confidence and arrogance recovering their strength quickly. "You're all too quick to judge me for my actions, and yet here you are keeping your master in the dark about the dangers that are right under his nose. Should Beacon fall to those monsters tomorrow it would be on your head and you know it."

He nodded softly, admitting defeat. It was satisfying to see her brother so torn up by her words. Qrow, for all his righteousness, was just like her. A liar.

"The difference between us is that I'm doing something about it." Eyes snapped back up to meet her own, and a she saw new resolve on his face as he spoke. "That's why I'm here, Raven. I want you on board with this. Not just to help our girls, but to help Summer. If she's alive, there's a way to her. A way that only you can make."

A shiver ran down Raven's spine. She knew exactly what he wanted from her. He wasn't going to get it. "No."

Clearly he hadn't been expecting that answer. The fool. How could he not know her after forty years? "What do you mean, no?"

"I mean no, Qrow. I'm not doing it. I'm not making a portal to Summer if she's in Salem's realm." Images once more flashed in her mind. Horrors that mortal minds could barely comprehend. "If you knew what we were going up against…"

"Jaune lived there for months," Qrow said, taking a step toward her. "He survived."

"Probably by Salem's will alone," she countered. "We, on the other hand, would be unwanted intruders. We wouldn't last five minutes."

"You're really serious," he stated rather than asked. "You're going to abandon Summer to her fate? Leave her as Salem's prisoner forever?"

"She knew the risks of fighting Ozpin's war. And so do you and I." Raven's thoughts turned to her darling boy. To her husband who she'd managed to save from the brink of his own self-destruction. "I'm finally happy now, Qrow. You won't take this away from me."

"Happy at what cost?" he asked. "How many lives have been sacrificed for your perfect little family life? Yang? Ruby? Summer? Who else, Raven? Who else has died for you and your happiness?"

Crimson eyes narrowed. "I've sacrificed nothing and nobody but my own people," she stated, referring to the Branwen tribe she'd abandoned nearly ten years ago. Without her presence there they were probably all dead. Slain by the hordes of Grimm without a strong and capable huntress there to protect them. "This isn't my war to fight. It wasn't Summer's either, and if you were smart you'd stay as far away from Ozpin as you can."

Qrow took another step closer to her. "You sacrificed your own daughter through your own inaction. You found her and abandoned her to her fate!"

"She's not my daughter anymore!" Raven snarled back. "She's one of Salem's beasts. She'd be better off dead than the monster she's become!"

"What if I told you that she wasn't? What if I told you there could be a way to save her?"

Raven scoffed dismissively. More pretty words from a hopeless optimist. Ironic coming from someone as pessimistic as her brother. "I'd call you a damn fool and a liar."

"A fool? Maybe," he agreed. "But not a liar. I've seen those girls with my own eyes. I've talked to them. Our girls are still in there somewhere. We just have to work to find them. To bring them back. We can do this, Raven. But we have to do it together."

She shook her head. Raven wanted nothing more than to go back inside, get a cup of coffee, and eat a nice pancake breakfast with her family. She wanted to forget this entire conversation. She never wanted to see her nuisance of a brother again.

"Go and do what you want," she told him. Raven turned on a heel and started back toward the door. "This conversation's over."

She was stopped after a step when Qrow reached out and grabbed her by the arm. "Maybe we should see if Tai thinks it's hopeless," he told her softly. Darkly. Threateningly.

Alarms went off in Raven's head. Eyes went wide, and time seemed to slow down as she whirled back around to face her brother.

"Don't. You. Dare," she whispered.

"What's wrong? Afraid of the truth coming out?"

What had been a beautiful late summer morning was quickly turning overcast. Dark storm clouds began to congregate above the Xiao Long cabin. The fire in Raven's eyes was more than just figurative.

"No. I'm afraid of you giving Tai a shred of false hope and then ripping it away." The thought of her husband believing his two daughters were alive and well only to find out that they were irredeemable monsters was mortifying. He wouldn't be able to recover a second time. "I've saved him from the brink once before. I don't think I could do it again, Qrow."

Her brother reached out a hand to her, palm up and fingers extended. "Then help me, Raven. Help Tai get his girls back."

Rather than take his hand, Raven's own clenched into fists. "I'm not leaving them," she whispered bitterly. "You can't make me leave my baby boy. I left Yang once, and it was the biggest mistake of my life." Eyes snapped back up to meet Qrow's. "I won't leave him. I won't risk abandoning Robin too. I won't meet the same fate as Summer."

"It's the only way, Raven. We can't get to Summer without you."

"I barely got out of there alive the last time. Find another way."

"Maybe Tai knows one."

The man went to take a step forward, but was stopped in his tracks when a lightning bolt shot down from the sky. It struck the tree mere inches away from Qrow, and the man jumped in surprise, leaping back several feet in terror.

Raven's eyes were ablaze now, and the magically conjured thunderstorm which swirled above them had darkened the morning sky. Qrow was breathing quickly and heavily, and his fearful eyes tore themselves away from what remained of the tree's trunk in order to stare at his sister.

"Raven…" he gasped in very real shock and awe. "What did you do?"

What did she do? Ten years ago she'd claimed a power which had fallen into unsafe and unfit hands. The power of the Spring Maiden was too dangerous and valuable to be left up to chance. Too at risk of falling into Salem's hands. So Raven had claimed it for herself. A sacrifice, Qrow might say, but a necessary one to keep her loved ones safe. Beyond Salem herself, there was no power in Remnant that could threaten the power of a fully trained Maiden.

"You leave my family out of this," she spoke with a calmness which betrayed the maelstrom of emotions churning inside her. A storm in her heart reflected by the swirling storm above them. "This is between you and me."

Qrow tilted his head back to watch the dark clouds moving unnaturally above him. "This power… where? How, Raven? How long have you had it?"

"It doesn't matter. What does matter is that you listen to what I've told you. You know what this is," she said, bringing down another bolt of lightning to the ground. The loud crack it produced was almost deafening, and Qrow was once more forced to jump in shock at the strike. "If you even think about speaking to my husband or my son about any of this, I'll kill you. I won't hesitate to do so. And now that you know what I am, you know that I'm fully capable of doing it too."

"Raven. Please…"

"I said this conversation is over. Goodbye, Qrow."

Raven turned once more, not waiting for the man to respond. She knew he likely had none either. He'd given her his ultimatum, but upon seeing that hers was stronger, he had no choice but to submit to her superior power.

The storm began to clear as her rage subsided. Qrow would not tell Taiyang about the girls. About Summer. To do so would be to sign his own death warrant, and that would mean that none of them would be saved. He couldn't allow that. Not when he was one of the few who knew of their existence. Not when he was the only one out there who could save them.

As Raven stepped inside to the sight of her smiling husband and the smell of cooking pancakes, she attempted to resume wearing the mask of the happy wife and mother. She would spend a wonderful morning eating as a family with the two most important men in her life.

Yet, for all of the happiness that they brought to her, the new information Qrow had revealed meant that she couldn't enjoy her happy family life as she once had. As she ate and talked and laughed with her boys, all she could think about was Summer sitting down in that fourth and empty chair at the kitchen table with them.

A seat she may have once occupied before she'd left this place and never returned.

* * *

Jaune never thought he'd see the day when a hybrid was putting on makeup. Like a regular girl. Like a human girl.

Then again, deep down inside, that's what they were. The girls seemed to be getting more human by the day. For that fact Jaune felt immense pride in both himself and them. They were making the most of a terrible situation and trying their best to recover what was taken from them. Even if only one of them consciously desired to be more human.

In their dorm room the boy watched as Weiss sat at the team's desk staring into the mirror set upon its surface. A small bag was placed before her, and the girl eagerly dug into it in order to try out all of the new and wonderful items inside. Jaune had a working knowledge of makeup thanks to his seven sisters, and on more than one occasion he had been used as a guinea pig for their ideas. Watching Weiss experimenting was like watching one of his younger sisters trying out the stuff for the first time.

As she produced a tube of lipstick, she sniffed it once the tip had been twisted out the front end. Jaune couldn't help but smile at her inquisitive nature.

She must have seen him in the reflection of the mirror, and she craned her neck to glance back at him. "Is something amusing?"

Very much so. However, Jaune had learned long ago not to get on Weiss' bad side by making fun of her. She may not have had a horn right now, but he didn't want to be on the receiving end of her furious head butts. "Nothing. I've just never seen you wear makeup before, that's all."

Weiss hummed, and a satisfied smile of her own crossed her lips before she puckered them to apply the lipstick. "Yes, it would seem that my all natural beauty is drawing all kinds of eyes lately."

"Lately?" he wondered.

After she'd finished running the colored stick along her lips, Weiss smacked them, leaning in further to examine her work in the mirror. "Yes. An upperclassman of ours, Coco I believe was her name, approached me the other day and said that I looked hot, and was impressed that I didn't even wear any makeup."

Jaune's eyes shifted up as he tried to recall if he'd ever heard that name before. After a few moments it clicked. Team CFVY, the ones who'd gone off with Professor Port for some assigned mission. The team had recently returned, and Jaune wondered if that meant that Port would reclaim his job from Qrow Branwen as the Grimm Studies professor. If so, where did that leave his strange new ally in this secret fight against Salem?

However, the most immediate thought Jaune had was how Weiss seemed unfazed by the fact that another student had hit on her. Usually she was fiercely protective of her relationship with him, and would not tolerate outside interference from anyone. "That's nice of her," he commented.

Weiss nodded. "Indeed. She was mistaken, however, because when I took my temperature I learned that my body temperature is actually a little more than one degree colder than the average human's."

Jaune blinked. So that was why Weiss hadn't been offended that someone was hitting on her.

It also explained why Weiss loved to shove her unusually cold feet in between his legs when they were sleeping. Deadly as she was, Weiss' body was thin as a twig, and maybe it had trouble retaining body heat. Well, if she needed him to be her heater, he wouldn't complain. Too much…

"I did manage to secure a working knowledge of makeup from her," she continued. "Human females apparently love to apply colored paint to their faces in order to enhance their beauty. So tell me, Jaune," she said as she turned around to stand. "Do I look even more beautiful than normal?"

Jaune stared at what he could only describe as clown makeup. Bright red lips were caked with lipstick, while black circles around her eyes gave her the appearance of a raccoon. The heavy blush on her cheeks make her appear sick with a fever. By the gods did she need some sort of tutorial. Or at the very least, an experienced woman who knew the proper amounts of makeup to apply.

Still, Jaune did what any good boyfriend would, and forced a smile on his lips. "You're… beautiful, Weiss," he said half-truthfully.

Despite the fact that her face looked anything but right now, her inner beauty was shining. Her innocence. Earnestness. It was all part of Weiss' charm to try so hard and fail so miserably. To have such overwhelming confidence despite being so wrong.

He loved those things about her. He loved them so much.

"I'm pleased you think so," she smiled, chin held high and eyes closed as she took in the praise. "I will be meeting with Winter for another sister's date in a few minutes, and I can't wait to see her reaction to my new appearance."

Jaune bit down on his lip. Winter. Oh Winter would certainly have a reaction to this. Hopefully the older sibling would drag Weiss back to her room and teach her to properly apply makeup before going out to Vale together.

"You seem to be spending a lot of time with Winter lately," Ruby commented from her spot on one of the beds.

She was right about that. Lately Weiss had been spending most of her free time with her sister, but he supposed that made complete sense. They were family, after all. Separated for years, it was only right that the two would want to reconnect. It was a big help to him as well, as Weiss had another person to help teach her how to be a proper human girl. It was good that the girls had friends and loved ones beyond himself. Ruby had Penny. Yang had Sun. They both had their uncle Qrow, though that reunion hadn't borne for either of them yet, for each of their own unique circumstances.

"She is an ideal role model for a young woman such as myself," Weiss stated. "Strong, beautiful, and successful. It's no wonder that she's related to me, the strongest, most beautiful, and most successful of all the hybrids."

Yang snorted a laugh. Jaune didn't know which of those descriptions she'd found the most funny, but he knew that the blonde girl saw humor in Weiss' misplaced confidence.

Ruby stood from the bed and walked over to be seated next to Yang on hers. She reached out and grabbed the other girl's arm, clutching it possessively close to her body. "You're not the only one with a sister, you know," she said jealously. "And, um, at least I never impaled Yang with my horns!"

"Actually, Ruby," Yang said. "Remember that time when you were ten and we were fighting over who would get the last of the cow flank?"

The redhead winced as if she'd just eaten something sour. "Oh. Yeah." A guilty expression crossed her face. "Sorry, Yang."

Yang smiled warmly, and her free hand came up to ruffle Ruby's hair. It sent the other hybrid scurrying away, but just as quickly as she released her hold on Yang's arm, Yang grabbed one of hers and pulled her back.

"How could I possibly stay mad at my little sister?" she cooed as if speaking to a baby. "You were so strong even at such a young age. You have no idea how proud I was that you fought me for more food."

"Gah! Yang! Stop it!"

There was some sort of back story there, and Jaune watched with amusement as Ruby continued to struggle to escape Yang's clutches. Looking at them right now, they really were like sisters. Remove the part about cow flank and replace it with something like ice cream, and it could have been a scene directly out of the Arc household.

"While it is amusing to recount your past antics," Weiss said as she slipped her boots on. "I must be leaving now. Winter is expecting me, and I shall not keep her waiting."

Ruby, fresh from escaping her own sister's clutches, pouted as she watched Weiss finish her preparations. "Oh yeah? Well you're not the only one with a sister! Me and Yang can do sister things too!"

In a stunning reversal of what had just occurred, Ruby grabbed Yang by the hand and pulled her harshly off her bed. The blonde girl stumbled forward, all but being dragged as Ruby struggled to bring them both to the door.

"Hey! Ruby!" Yang grunted as she fought her losing battle against the surprisingly strong younger sibling. "What gives?"

"Me and you are sisters and we're gonna act like it!" the redhead squawked indignantly. "We're going on a double date with Weiss and Winter!"

Jaune didn't have the heart to tell the girl that double dates were romantic affairs. Perhaps Yang knew and would correct the girl later. If not her, than certainly Winter.

Gods, he hoped that Winter would be able to keep that amount of crazy in check.

"Excuse me?" Weiss protested. "I did not invite you on my date with Winter."

"Fine! Then we'll go on separate dates, but we're going to the same place as you!"

Yang was still thrashing and sputtering protests even as Ruby dragged her from the room behind her. Weiss left as well, still objecting to the fact that her sisterly bonding time with Winter was being intruded on by her fellow hybrids.

As the sounds of arguing faded down the hall, it occurred to Jaune that he was alone. He was actually alone. For the first time since… he couldn't even recall, he had free time to himself. No hybrids to look after. No misunderstandings or shenanigans to deal with. He could do whatever he wanted. He could relax.

He didn't know what to do with himself, honestly.

"I'm alone," he said quietly to himself. Falling back on the bed, he sat there for a moment before speaking again. "I can't believe it. I actually have some alone time."

He could read a comic book. He could do some training. He could even take a nap. The evening was his alone.

Until he saw the single barb-tipped tentacle slither out from beneath his bed, coming up to almost lazily wave at him.

" **Fear not, Jaune,"** the unseen voice spoke. **"You're never alone."**

Jaune released a breath. Of course. In all the chaos he'd forgotten about a certain someone who was, in her own words, always in his shadow. Blake had made a number of new lairs here at Beacon Academy, but the most certain one was always under his bed. Like some unseen monster from his childhood, the Bogey-Blake would always haunt the underside of his bed.

"Oh, right," he signed. "How could I ever forget you, Blake?"

The creature of his nightmares slid out from underneath the bed, and even as she did Jaune saw how she transformed from her Grimm form to a normal and beautiful faunus girl. Blake stood tall and proud, a pair of golden eyes gazing down upon his seated form with hurt and disappointment.

"How _could_ you forget me?" she wondered sorrowfully. "Me, your first kiss. You wound me, my love. For a human you're far more cruel than even Salem could ever dream of being…"

Melodrama or not, the idea of being compared to that immortal witch rubbed Jaune the wrong way. "How can I make it up to you?"

Blake closed the last few inches between them and placed her palms on his shoulder. "If you do wish to… _enjoy_ your alone time," she offered suggestively. "Please don't hold back on my account. I do so enjoy the sound of your mattress creaking above me…"

Yeah, like that was ever going to happen with her in the room with him. Frankly, Jaune was surprised she wasn't offering to do the job herself, considering all the evocative and amorous words she always spoke to him.

He swallowed hard. The last thing he wanted right now was to think about what a night with Blake might entail. All those teeth. All those tentacles. That long, serpentine tongue…

"L-let's maybe think of something else?" he suggested.

Blake's lips curled into a grin, and Jaune couldn't help but feel as if he'd fallen into some sort of trap. "Something else," she agreed. "A date then."

And there it was. After rejecting her suggestion for doing something utterly intimate and private in her presence, could he really turn her down for something so simple and innocent?

"A date…" he echoed.

"Yes. A date." Her fingertips came to rest lightly on his chest, and began walking them up with every deliberate word she spoke. "Just. The. Two. Of." The last word was punctuated with her index finger poking him gentle on the nose. "Us."

A date with Blake. Here in Vale, a public human setting. Surely it couldn't be that bad. Right?

"A real date," he simply had to confirm. "No hunting down humans. No killing. Nothing weird. Right?"

"Oh there will be death," she grinned. Jaune felt his blood go cold as he stared into the maniacal eyes of the hybrid. "After all, what kind of horror movie would Cannibal Faunus Freaks 2 be without a little blood and gore?"

A date. At a movie. Even if it was horror, it was a surprisingly mundane suggestion from the girl who was anything but mundane. Jaune had heard that you should never look a gift horse in the mouth. He definitely didn't want to look a gift Blake in her maw of jagged fangs.

"You know what, Blake?" he asked. "That sounds great."

Blake stepped back, wrapping her arms around her own torso as she gently swayed back and forth. "He's so eager, eager for our third date," she whispered, eyes locked to the floor beneath her. "Because he hopes that I'll finally give myself to him, and experience rapture the likes of which Ruby and Weiss could never show him…"

And just like that the innocence of the evening had been lost. However, the part about their _third_ date had him confused. "Blake? We've never gone on a date before."

Golden eyes flicked up to regard him. "How cruel, Jaune. Have you forgotten all of the good times we've had?"

Good times. He was sure that in her mind, terrorizing him was indeed a good time. To him, however… "We've still never been on a date."

"What an awful boy you are. Forgetting how I held your body so close to me all night long. How I tended to your injuries like the naughty nurse from every boy's fantasy…"

It took Jaune a moment to recall what she meant. The aftermath of his final battle against Cardin. The one which had left him broken, bloodied, and on the verge of death. Only Blake's timely intervention had saved him from Cardin coming and finishing what he'd started.

"Blake, that wasn't a date. I nearly died."

"Mmmm," she moaned delightedly. "It was blissful, was it not? The fear and vulnerability you radiated that night was intoxicating. It took all I had not to take you then and there…"

That was… frightening to think about in this new light. Still, that only counted as one encounter. "What was our second date?"

"Why, the night of the dance, of course. Swaying with you to the music, followed by a romantic stroll through the courtyard. I couldn't have imagined a more human experience than that…"

Again, Jaune recalled the night in question. "Blake. Most of that was searching for Weiss after her Aura had been unlocked. Wasn't exactly what I'd call a romantic evening."

"It was to me," she grinned. "Time spent alone with my favorite human. Anxiety gnawing in the pit of your stomach. Though how you wound up in the arms of another woman that night… I feel cheated from the experience."

He was about to sarcastically apologize for having his thoughts and concern focused on Weiss that evening, but thought better of it. He didn't want to antagonize Blake, who, for all he knew, truly did consider these incidents as dates between the two of them. The best he could do now was give her a true and genuine date that normal humans would go on together.

Here and now he could show her the good way. The right way. The human way. Despite Blake being only the most recently turned of the hybrids, it wouldn't hurt to remind her of what she once was.

Jaune reached out and took one of her hands, and Blake showed genuine surprise in him being the one to make the move on her. "Then, Blake. Would you do me the honor of accompanying me on a date tonight?"

A smile, one far less terrifying than the ones she usually wore, grew on her lips. "I'd be delighted to, my darling."

Leading her from the room, Jaune set out on what was sure to be a fun, if not interesting night.

* * *

The movie, as it turned out, hadn't actually been scary. At least not to him. Maybe it was due to Jaune having lived a real life horror movie for the past several months that made him immune to a fictional one.

In reality, the true horror had been sitting next to him the entire time. Blake had quietly cackled with delight throughout the most graphic and frightening parts of the whole movie. Maybe it was because of the blatantly racist undertones in making the movie about _faunus_ cannibals which appealed to her morbid sense of humor. Or maybe the hybrid who had slaughtered her share of living creatures found the fake horror and death scenes amusing. With Blake one could never be entirely certain what she found appealing and why.

One thing that was certain, however, was that Blake had wanted the date to be as true and cliché as possible. Under the cover of darkness, Jaune's date had decided to get a little bit frisky, and he still wasn't entirely certain if it had been her arms or tentacles which had slithered around his back to pull him close to her. However, there was no denying the long, slippery tongue which she had jammed down his esophagus when she pressed her lips against his, making out with him as much as choking him as the movie played in the background. To say that she had left him breathless would be an understatement, and even in the darkened theater he'd seen how her eyes glowed with delight after claiming his mouth for herself.

He could only hope Ruby wouldn't get jealous when she smelled Blake's scent on him later. Weiss would be fine with it, considering how often she lobbied to add more women to their pack in order for him to produce more strong offspring. If she was lucky, and perhaps he unlucky, Weiss might get that wish fulfilled by the end of the evening…

Maybe Blake expected something to happen as well, and as they exited from the theater together she had one of her arms linked around his as they walked side by side. Just like a real couple would have. He never would have expected a genuine romantic gesture from the most monstrous of all the hybrids.

She seemed to be having a good enough time. He wondered if that was the case, or if he was merely projecting his own wishes onto her. "Blake?" he asked.

The faunus girl turned her head to look up at him. "Yes?"

"So… how was it?"

She chuckled softly, her trademark grin splitting her mouth open ear to ear. "Delightful, my love. The food was delicious."

Jaune had never heard someone call movie popcorn delicious before, but perhaps she hadn't gone to many movies in her life before her transformation. "Glad to hear. But you barely touched the popcorn."

"I wasn't referring to the popcorn, Jaune," she replied, her tongue darting across her lips.

Jaune sucked in a breath as he stared at her smiling face. Of course. _He_ had been the food. She'd certainly gotten a mouthful of him in the theater…

As the two moved along the sidewalk, Blake turned down into an alleyway, bringing him with her in their linked arms. Maybe she wanted more than just a taste of him, and this was just the most private place she could think to do it. Or maybe being a creature which enjoyed haunting the night, a stroll down a dark alley was her idea of romantic.

In any case, Jaune decided to keep the conversation alive. He was curious about her faunus past as well. "Have you ever been on real dates before?" he wondered. "Back before… you were a hybrid?"

Blake hummed thoughtfully. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they slowly walked. "I have," she said softly. Almost sadly. "Though they were far more violent than our own."

Jaune frowned. He wondered what that meant. Moreover, he wondered if that was a point against his favor. Did Blake prefer violent dates with her men now that she was a hybrid? Was this too boring for her?

"I'm sorry ours has only had fictional violence," he said. He wasn't so much sad that they weren't committing acts of violence themselves, but rather that Blake wasn't having her ideal time with him tonight.

She lifted her head from him and peered into his eyes. "Don't be, my love," she whispered. "Death. Destruction. He never made me feel like I was the object of his desire. Only the mission. Always the mission…"

Jaune didn't know what she meant by that, but considering it sounded like something she regretted, maybe he shouldn't press the issue. Maybe she _was_ having a better time on a boring, normal date with him than one filled with death and destruction.

He felt her hold on his arm tighten. Nails dug down into the skin of his arm. Jaune glanced down to see Blake's ears up and at attention.

"So what do you want to do next?" he asked. "Dinner somewhere? Or if you're not that hungry maybe ice cream?"

She didn't answer immediately. Rather, her head was on a swivel, looking around the dark alley as they continued to walk.

"Bring me home or leave me be," she whispered. "My love in the dark heart of the night…"

Jaune's eyes narrowed. "Blake? What does that mean?"

"Not you," she whispered sharply. Her hold on him was released, and the pair stopped moving. "He's here."

"He?"

Blake didn't answer. Rather, the faunus girl ran, finding an escape ladder hanging from the back of one of the many buildings lining this side of the alley. She leapt up, climbing its rungs and escaping into the darkness which the dim lighting here could not penetrate.

"Blake?" he called, wondering what was going on. "Blake! What's going on!"

She didn't answer. The creature of the night had slipped away into her domain. Finding her in the darkness and shadows was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

Just when he thought the situation couldn't any worse, he heard an all too familiar cackling behind him. Jaune's blood ran cold, and he turned to see a man standing a few feet away, his face shrouded in darkness.

"Ah, _Mister_ Arc," the chilling and all too familiar voice greeted. Jaune's eyes widened and his breath hitched. "How wonderful to see you again…"

Stepping forward from the shadows, a man in white pants and a heavy brown overcoat came into the light. A man he hoped he would have never had to see again. Yet here he was, standing before him in the flesh.

"I'm looking for a lost kitty cat," he explained knowingly. "Her owner is quite upset over her disappearance. She's about five-foot-five with black fur, and has the most amazing golden eyes. So tell me, _Mister_ Arc…" His face twisted from amusement to anger in an instant. "Have you seen her?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Oh cliffhangers. I'll try not to leave you hanging for nearly as long this time.

The truth is, I was burnt out from writing. I tried and failed writing a couple different projects over the past month or so, only to realize that I was getting no joy out of them. I had to just disconnect and take a few weeks where I did nothing. Where I didn't even attempt to write. So hopefully that helped me out, and now I'm recharged and ready for another go at this.

Some of you may look at Raven and think it's out of character for her to settle down. I agree, she has changed. What she and Tai went through would change anybody. If anything could force her to change her ways and reflect on who she was as a person, it would be what happened to Tai and Yang.

With two major happenings in this chapter, you might be able to tell that we're nearing the final phase of the story. This is very late volume 2 territory, maybe even the interlude between 2 and 3. With no Team RWBY in the mix, a _lot_ changes in the volume 2 finale. Certain plans aren't interrupted. Things can change wildly moving forward...

Anyway! I hope you all enjoyed this nice meaty chapter. Sorry for the wait. Considering how I left things off, I'm quite excited to get to what happens next.

As always, thanks for reading.


	35. Chapter 35

The narrow yellow eyes of Tyrian Callows stared into him, awaiting a response of which there was only one correct answer. The psychotic scorpion faunus had Jaune dead to rights. Yet without Blake present, there was still a chance for the boy to play dumb.

"Blake's not here," he offered. "The team on this mission is me, Ruby-"

"Lying is not your strong suit, boy," the man cut him off. "Which is ironic, considering that you lied your way to surviving in our goddess' academy, and you're lying to all of the human professors and classmates at Beacon."

Tyrian glanced around the alley, idly peeking behind trash cans and other debris stacked up against the brick buildings there. He was way off in his efforts. He hadn't yet looked up. He must not have known that Blake enjoyed being in a position of height and advantage when she stalked her prey.

Was that what she was doing? Or had she truly run away? Had she abandoned Jaune to his fate? If that was the case, should he flee as well? If he could make it out of the alley and back onto the street, there would at least be people and traffic present. Surely Salem's minion wouldn't pursue him and make a public scene, right?

Jaune took a step backwards, and Tyrian's head immediately turned to regard him. "Ah ah," he chastised, his tail flicking excitedly. "It's impolite to leave before a conversation is over." Tyrian took a few steps toward him, and it became clear to Jaune that he wouldn't get more than a few feet before he was incapacitated by his foe should he choose to run. "You still haven't told me where our dear Blake is."

And he never would. He'd sooner have a feral Blake on the loose in Vale than see her dragged back to Salem's castle by this madman. Jaune knew he had to think of a way to escape. He had to stall. Maybe he could casually move closer toward the street if he could distract the man with conversation. "Professor Callows," he said, purely on instinct.

Tyrian giggled with delight, a huge grin creeping across his features. "Professor Callows, Professor Callows…" he muttered, as if testing the words to see how they sounded on his own lips. "No, let's not stand on formalities any longer, Jaune. Is it okay if I call you Jaune?"

Jaune crept back another step. "I don't really care what you call me."

Something guttural rumbled in the back of Tyrian's throat. "You're lucky we're not in class. Such disrespect would earn you detention, young man." His tone had become more formal there, playing the role of teacher once more to chastise his one time student. "Or, perhaps," he continued, another wicked grin splitting his lips. "Another trip out to the Grimmlands…"

Something on Jaune's face must have reacted to that memory, for Tyrian fell into another psychotic giggling fit at the threat. He stepped closer to Jaune, and pushed past him as his head tilted upward now. He was on the right track, and the faunus man gazed up into the hazy darkness of the alley's buildings.

"She's such a good hider, isn't she?" he mused. Warmth and pride saturated the words, and there was no mistaking the reverence Tyrian held for the girl. Just like he did for Salem. "Even my enhanced vision can't see her up there. It's no wonder she was able to sneak away in your Bullhead. Hazel," he spat, his tone changing suddenly when he uttered the name. "Completely useless."

If there was one thing Jaune wouldn't call Hazel, it was useless. The man had been the only one of Salem's henchmen who'd shown even a shred of kindness and decency toward him in the months he was stuck at that monstrous school. From telling him to find something to live for, to even allowing him to write home to his family, Hazel possessed something he had not seen in any of the other professors there. Humanity. Jaune wondered why and how such a man found himself working for the dark Queen of the Grimm.

It was obvious Tyrian knew the whole story. He was even looking in the right places now. Denying anything would be a useless gesture. The best Jaune could hope for now was for the man to simply give up and try his luck another day. One which would never come, as Jaune and his friends would never step foot outside of Beacon Academy. At least not without Qrow and Winter trailing them.

"Obviously she doesn't want to be found," he explained to the man whose eyes were still glued above them. Jaune hated the fact that he hadn't brought a weapon with him. Fists alone couldn't take down Tyrian, even with his back turned. "And she doesn't want you to bring her back. You should just leave. You'll never find her."

Tyrian spun around to face him once more. "This I simply cannot allow, Jaune," he said with dead seriousness. "Our goddess has bid me to bring her errant child home, and bring her home I shall. The only question is, how easy will she make my task?"

"Considering she ran at the first sign you were coming, not very easy. Face it, you blew it. You may have been able to follow us here, but the moment you got close she took off. Says a lot about what she thinks of you and your goddess, doesn't it?"

To his surprise, Tyrian laughed again. Not quite what he'd been expecting from the verbal slight against Salem to her fanatical follower. "Very true, very true," he agreed. "I have failed, and for that I must seek penance from my goddess. However, a problem is just a misunderstood opportunity."

Before Jaune could ask what he meant by that, Tyrian threw off his heavy coat. In the blink of an eye, and quicker than Jaune could possibly hope to react, the long scorpion tail of Tyrian lashed out, connecting with Jaune's chest with such force that even someone of his size and stature was knocked off his feet.

Jaune landed on his backside with a grunt, and before he could even think to move or shout something, Tyrian was upon him. Boots landed on his gut, driving the breath from the blond's lungs, and a single hand clamped over Jaune's mouth to stifle any screams. The boy's hands came up in an attempt to try and dislodge the faunus man from his body, but they hesitated the moment he saw Tyrian's tail rise threateningly close to his face.

A bead of purple venom formed on its barbed tip.

"It's best not to struggle," the man whispered harshly. "The faster your blood pumps, the quicker the poison will spread through your body."

Jaune hadn't been stung, but the threat of it loomed over his head, quite literally. Jaune's Aura was still active, but with Tyrian crouching on his torso and with no weapons in sight, the faunus could easily change that. He was at Tyrian's mercy.

Tyrian's eyes left Jaune's and the man slowly moved his head around to once more peer up into the darkness. Seconds later a disappointed sigh left his lips. "If Blake refuses to come out and play, then I'll simply have to take away her favorite toy. Reward and punishment are a delicate balance, you see. And bad girls must be punished…"

Jaune watched in horror as the tip of Tyrian's tail neared his face. Purple venom inched closer and closer to the point where Jaune would have been able to see his own reflection in the liquid had it been daytime.

Just before it made contact with his skin, Tyrian's tail suddenly jerked backwards. Just in time to deflect the boot which came at him from above.

Jaune threw the man off his chest and rolled with the momentum, standing up a moment later. He watched as Tyrian jumped and landed on his feet gracefully, standing opposite of Jaune and the new arrival who had come to his rescue.

"Blake," he gasped, seeing the girl in the Haven Academy uniform moving to stand in front of him. Had the situation not been so dire it would have been heartwarming to see the girl placing herself between Jaune and his foe.

Tyrian smiled warmly, and a loving sigh slipped through his lips as he gazed at the girl who'd finally shown herself. "There she is. Mother's little angel…"

"Are you okay?" she asked Jaune, sparing a backwards glance at him.

"I'm fine," he confirmed. "I thought you'd run. You _should_ have run…"

Blake took a step back, her body gazing up against Jaune's chest. "Never, my love. A spider does not flee from her prey. She only waits for the most opportune moment…"

A moment she'd seized, but ultimately had failed. Tyrian was fast and strong. Too much for Jaune even if he'd been armed. How in the world were they going to defeat him when neither he nor Blake had weapons?

"How precious, lovers reunited at last," Tyrian cooed, taking a step toward them. His hands clasped together, and with his seemingly genuine smiled gave off the impression that he was some sort of loving uncle rather than a murderous psychopath. "Blake, sweetie, don't you think it's time to come home? Your mother misses you very much."

"Salem isn't her mother," Jaune snarled.

"Not biologically perhaps," Tyrian conceded. "However, you are our goddess' darling child, and she has decided that you've had enough time to play. It's time to come home, dear."

"The last man to call me darling now resides in a jar," Blake said darkly. "Would you like to join him? I'd love to add another uppity faunus to my collection…"

Tyrian cackled softly at the threat. "It's so wonderful to see your time among humans hasn't dampened your spirit. If you come home, I promise you all heads you could ever want. We'll even build you a trophy shelf to display them on! Does that sound like fun, Blake? You and I working on a little decoration project together?"

It really was like some sort of twisted familial relationship that Tyrian was pitching. Like a renovation project Jaune and his sisters might have been enlisted into helping with by their parents. To his relief, Blake hadn't budged an inch.

"I have lost the path before me." Her head tilted to glance back once more, and a single golden eye met Jaune's. "The one behind will lead me."

Tyrian let out a groan somewhere between disappointment and sorrow. A hand came up to his forehead, and he dragged it down his face as he dealt with this unwanted burden. "Tough love it is then. I do so wish it didn't have to come to this. However, there are times when unruly children must be punished."

The ominous choice of words made it clear that their paths had been set. There would be no more attempts at convincing here. No words would get the job done. Now was the time for action. The time to fight for Blake's freedom. If only she would just run…

"Blake," he whispered into the faunus girl's feline ears. "If you run I'll distract him…"

She pressed back against his chest once more, and her hands blindly reached behind in order to find the hair on his head. "I told you, Jaune," she whispered back. "I will always be in your shadow. I'll never leave you. Especially not to him."

The man before them was glowered at the displays of affection. Jaune wasn't sure if he was jealous, or upset over the fact that Blake's loyalty lay with him over Salem. One thing was certain, however. He wasn't about to leave until he got what he came for.

"So what's the plan?" Jaune wondered.

Despite standing behind her, Jaune saw how Blake's appearance began to shift. Her arms, and the fingers which had gently run through his hair, quickly changed into long, black, barbed tentacles. The skin that he could see on her face and neck paled into a sickly white. Black veins ran across her porcelain flesh. Only the cover of darkness prevented the rest of the world from seeing the monster she'd become.

"Kill," Blake whispered darkly. And if he wasn't mistaken, excitedly.

Without wasting another moment Blake leapt away from him, tentacles out and failing in the air as she came at her former combat professor.

She came down with a snarl, the barbed tips of her tentacles swinging menacingly as she attempted to tear Tyrian's head clean off his shoulders. With his tail he blocked one of her appendages, while an arm came up in order to deflect the other. With his free hand he swung faster than Jaune could register, catching the hybrid girl in the chin and knocking her back.

"Blake!" Jaune shouted as his feet finally remembered how to move.

She regained control of her body midair, landing gracefully on her feet as any cat would. Jagged teeth were bared in anger toward the faunus who'd probably been the first to inflict any real pain on the girl in months.

She rushed him again, tentacles swinging wildly like deadly spiked flails. Tyrian stepped back deeper into the dark alley with each swing, cackling with amusement as he bobbed and weaved around each one of Blake's attacks.

"Kitty's got claws!" he exclaimed with no trace of fear whatsoever. "How exciting!"

Jaune knew he couldn't just stand on the sidelines any longer. Throwing caution to the wind, he rushed at the servant of Salem, clenching his right hand and snarling as he approached the insane faunus. Coming from the side he hoped to catch Tyrian off guard while his attention was focused on the hybrid in front of him.

It wasn't to be, and right when Jaune was about to connect with the side of his head, the tail came back up. Jaune's fist slammed into it and Aura clashed with Aura, resulting in nothing more than the dull sound of meat on meat.

Tyrian's beady yellow eye flicked sideways, and his maniacal grin was just a hint of what was to come.

A single hand of the scorpion faunus came up, glowing purple fingers curled into a pseudo claw, and raked across the flesh of Jaune's cheek.

Pain. Surprise. Wetness. Jaune stumbled back after the man swiped at his face, inflicting far more damage upon the young huntsman than he would have thought possible. Blue eyes were wide as a hand came up to his face, and a moment later found it covered in his own blood.

Tyrian managed to knock the attacking Blake a second time, and with both aggressors driven off he stood tall and proud. "I have no interest in harming you, Jaune," he stated coldly. "Leave now and go back to your little harem. I'm sure they'll kiss your boo-boo's better."

Willing his Aura to heal his fresh wound, Jaune shook his head. "Not going to happen."

Tyrian sighed angrily. Blake on the other hand moved back closer to Jaune. "He's right," she said softly. "You need to leave."

His brow furrowed. "I'm not leaving you," he insisted.

"You wouldn't be," she argued. "He wants me. I'll distract him while you run. As soon as you're away I'll escape. He can't catch me."

Jaune bit down on his lip. It was… the closest thing they had to a plan. They'd found out the hard way that they couldn't land a single blow on Tyrian. Still, the idea of putting things to chance like that…

"You're sure?" he insisted.

Blake nodded. "I'm sure. Go. Run. I'll be right behind you."

Jaune swallowed and took a step away from Blake. Two steps. Slowly but surely he backed off. As he did so Tyrian advanced, eyes locked on his prey. The young man's heart was racing in his chest. He had to trust that Blake knew what she was doing. He had to believe in her. She was a creature of shadows. She could do this. If anyone could, it was her.

Tyrian struck once he deemed that Jaune was too far away to interfere. Blake avoided the first of his strikes and ran. Much like she'd done when she first heard Tyrian approaching, she leapt up with supernatural speed and agility to grab onto one of the escape ladders in the alley. She pulled herself up, and proceeded up with blinding speed.

Until the scorpion tail of Tyrian lashed out and wrapped around her ankle. Blake was stopped in her tracks and pulled down harshly where her body landed in the alley with a sickening thud.

"No!" Jaune shouted as he began to rush back. Willing his Aura into his fists, he tried once more to connect with Tyrian's face, only for the strikes to be blocked by the faunus' own raised hands.

The counterattack was like lightning, and a flurry of fists from the older man pummeled Jaune back and away from Blake's prone body. Tyrian reached down to collect her, but Jaune wouldn't be deterred so easily. Fighting through the stinging pain he came again and forced Tyrian's attention back onto him alone.

A punch to the gut buckled Jaune over. A hammering fist onto the back of his had sent him to his hands and knees. Jaune coughed on all fours, expecting the end to come as Tyrian's tail hovered menacingly over his face. The boy looked up only to see a frustrated snarl on his foe's face.

"Why must you be such a nuisance!" he shouted. Yet… he didn't strike the killing blow. He didn't strike at all.

Blake's tentacles wrapped around the long scorpion tail, and like two savage beasts fighting in the wild, the growls and snarls of the two filled Jaune's ears as he stood back to his feet. He watched as Tyrian swung his tail wildly to try and get the hybrid off him, and finally with enough strength and momentum he succeeded in throwing her with such force that she slammed against the wall of one of the surrounding buildings.

Her dull groans of pain ate at Jaune's stomach, and he rushed over to aid the girl while Tyrian glared vindictively at them. He must have known that this was all but over. Jaune couldn't escape without Blake being caught by Tyrian, and the same applied for Blake's own escape and Jaune's capture. Neither would leave the other behind. The rules of engagement were abundantly clear. They had to defeat Tyrian in order for them to both leave here.

Hunching over to aid Blake back to her feet, he winced as Blake coughed and groaned in pain. Hybrid anatomy or not, Tyrian was delivering some serious blows to the girl. He didn't know how much damage she would be able to take without the aid of Aura.

"Jaune," she said quietly as he helped her back to her feet. "This isn't working."

Truer words were never spoken. Neither had so much as landed a single hit on Tyrian. Jaune may have had a lot of Aura, but a war of attrition didn't matter if he couldn't inflict any harm on his opponent. Given enough time Tyrian would deplete his Aura. He would be knocked out of the fight. And then Blake would be at his mercy. Even if Blake ran, Jaune would be a hostage to use as leverage to get her back. And he knew Blake would never allow any harm to come to her favorite toy…

To her darling…

"There's not much else we can do," he argued. "Unless you run."

She shook her head, glaring daggers at Tyrian as he slowly approached them like the serial killer out of a horror movie. The reality of the situation wasn't too far from the truth.

"Here, kitty kitty…" Tyrian growled menacingly.

"I'm not leaving you," she stated. "And you're not leaving me."

That about summed up their situation. Quite a bad one, really. "Then what should we do?"

A tentacle wrapped around Jaune's waist and she pulled herself close to him. Nuzzling her forehead against his shoulder, Blake spoke softly. "Use your Semblance on me."

Jaune's eyes went wide, and he looked down on the girl. When her forehead came back up, a pair of baleful glowing red eyes stared back up at him.

"What?" he gasped.

"Your Semblance," she repeated. "Use it. Give me all of the Aura you can spare."

A chill ran down Jaune's spine. He could still recall the last time Blake had flared up her Aura in Professor Rainart's class. It had not gone well for the hybrid girl. He knew all too well what would happen to Blake if she activated it. Unlike the other girls, Blake was not at peace with her humanity. With what she was. With what she'd done.

"I can't," he whispered. "You'll lose control."

"Control won't beat him," she argued. "But if I'm at my strongest, and if I can use my Semblance…"

It sounded to Jaune like she had a plan, but there wasn't time to explain it. Could he trust her? Did he even have a choice? As it stood right now there was no defeating Tyrian. There wasn't even a chance of landing a hit on him even when they attacked together.

"But…" he still protested weakly, not even knowing what to say following the word.

"I trust you, Jaune," she smiled. For the first time ever he wasn't frightened by her toothy grin. There was a warmth to it he'd never witnessed before. "I know you'll bring me back. You promised to save me, remember?"

The words hit him like a truck. Blake had always doubted that he would or even could save her. Yet here and now she was putting everything on the line, all because she had faith in him. She believed that he would be able to rescue her from the brink of insanity. That he would be able to bring back the humanity which was buried somewhere deep inside her.

Jaune smiled bitterly as he stared into her glowing crimson orbs. "Yeah. I remember."

The sound of Tyrian clearing his throat broke Jaune's focus, and he turned to see the man standing a few feet away. "If you two are done saying your goodbyes," he said expectantly. He pointed a finger out to Blake. "The girl, Jaune. I would have her back now."

Jaune's hands came to rest on Blake's body as he pulled her close to him. Her chest touched his, and he stared down onto her frightening yet beautiful face. It was amazing how he'd grown to love such a face in the months after meeting her.

Tentacles slithered around his back, and Blake leaned up and tilted her head. Her lips met his, and unlike the sloppy, passionate kiss she'd given him during the movie, Blake gently and lovingly kissed the man she claimed to love. Tonight more than ever she was proving that claim to be true.

Jaune's lips parted, and for a few blissful seconds he tasted the black flesh of her lips and a long, slippery tongue that wasn't being forced down his throat. For all her bestial nature and appearance in this moment, kissing Blake felt incredibly human. It felt wonderful. It felt right.

She trusted him. He would have to trust her in return.

When she came back down to stand flat on the ground, she smiled softly at the boy of her dreams. "Will your lips taste the kiss of death?"

There was only one way to find out.

Pulling her close to him once more, Jaune forced Blake's face into his chest and activated his Semblance.

His hands glowed with brilliant bright light as they forced Blake's Aura away. As they amplified it, pushing it well past the point of its normal capacity.

Blake howled. She screamed. She thrashed in his arms, but Jaune held her tightly against him. Shrieks of pain both physical and mental were muffled in his chest, and tentacles began to flail about wildly as the hybrid girl sought to escape the pain being inflicted upon her by her love.

Jaune's eyes squeezed shut, and tears formed in them at hearing Blake's pain. He hoped that on some level she still understood that he was just following her orders. That he was doing this for both of them. For the greater good.

"It's okay," he whispered into her feline ear. "It's okay. I love you, Blake."

Barbed tips whipped against his flesh, rending and gouging his Aura as Blake sought freedom from his painful embrace. Her whole body writhed in agony in his arms, and Jaune too felt the pain of her strikes slowly but surely whittling down his extensive amounts of Aura.

Finally it was too much. Blake was too powerful to be contained. Throwing him off her, Jaune was sent flying back and collided into a dumpster with a loud thud. Teeth grit and eyes squeezed shut, it took him a moment to gather himself. When his eyes opened again he sucked in a breath.

Two. Four. Eight. Sixteen. So many Blakes had appeared that they were beyond counting. Over where she and Tyrian still stood, a veritable army of Grimm hybrids surrounded the scorpion faunus.

Gone was the poise and cockiness of a man who knew he could easily dispatch his foes. In his place was a deranged fighter who crouched ready to react at a moment's notice.

"What have you done…" he growled angrily. "What have you done!"

He wanted to respond with some witty comeback like 'what I had to'. Such thoughts died before they could even form on his lips when the closest Blake turned to face him.

With savage red eyes and a bestial snarl on her lips, the monster lunged at him, tentacles prepared to rend flesh from bone.

Jaune raised his arms to block the attack, but nothing came. The Blake passed harmlessly through his body, landing on the other side of him. Jaune turned to see that she was still indeed there. It hadn't been an illusion.

Spinning faster than he thought possible the Blake swung a tentacle at him, and this time Jaune raised a fist to strike it. Jaune punched clean through the tentacle, and the appendage vanished into smoke upon contact. He understood now. He knew what Blake's Semblance was.

He also knew why she'd needed his Semblance to enhance her Aura. She needed an army in order to defeat the faunus who stood in their way.

Blakes descended on Tyrian from all directions like a pack of wolves. With so many to choose from he had no chance in striking them all before they closed in on him. A tail swipe and two fists dispatched three of the shadow clones, but this opened him up to the savage strike of the real Blake as one of her barbed tentacles tore into his back. Tyrian's Aura flared, and he turned around to strike back at the real Blake, only for his fist to find yet another of the clones instead.

Jaune picked himself up off the ground. If this was the plan, to distract the man with an army of clones, then he had to do his part too. Even unarmed, he wouldn't let Blake fight this battle alone. There was no running away either. Out of her mind now, Blake had no true grasp on tactics, much less retreat. She was a wild beast and was fighting like one. She would stay until she or Tyrian was defeated.

Jaune wouldn't let it be her.

Putting his Aura into his hands again, Jaune's fists were made of steel and he struck out once more against the faunus. Tyrian turned and caught the attack, and kicked Jaune in the gut for his troubles. But once more it opened him up to attack, and Blake struck from above, this time sending a boot of her own crashing down into the back of Tyrian's head.

She used it as a springboard, and in one swift motion pushed off and away from the man's counterattack. More false Blakes assailed him and took the blows instead. Tyrian breathed heavily, wild eyes looking all around like a rabid dog. For the first time in the fight he wasn't the one in control. He was at the mercy of reacting to others. Jaune couldn't imagine he enjoyed the new sensation.

"You… you're going to pay for this!" he snarled as he rushed for Jaune.

Slicing through a false Blake as he came, Tyrian's wrist-mounted weapons deployed, and a pair of savage curved blades appeared around each of his forearms. He swung wildly without the usual poise and control that someone of his superiority would have against a lowly opponent like Jaune. For his part, all Jaune could do was try to block and evade. He managed the first two times, but their skill levels weren't even close. Jaune's fists and forearms took the brunt of the assault, and it was only thanks to his Aura that he still had hands. Several savage swings forced Jaune back against a wall, and he was only barely able to duck in time before Tyrian's fist connected and punched a hole in the brick wall behind him.

Jaune stumbled away, his head passing through the jaws of a shadow clone as he tripped and landed on his hands and knees. When he turned back he saw more Blakes converging upon Tyrian. More hybrids were sliced and diced into soot and shadows. Where Blake Prime was, Jaune couldn't say.

"You've… you've ruined her!" Tyrian shouted. "Look at what you've done!"

Tyrian angrily slashed at yet another clone, but lost his footing when the tentacles of the real Blake wrapped around his ankle. In a twisted parody of what had happened earlier, Blake pulled the man off his feet and swung him around to slam his head against the brick wall he'd just put a hole in. Tyrian cried out in true pain as four Blakes pounced on his prone body. One of them stabbed into his chest with her razor-sharp tentacles.

Three Blakes were slain and the real one was knocked away as Tyrian spun around on his back, his tail and bladed forearms slicing through his assailants like some sort of weaponized break-dancer. Tyrian leapt back onto his feet, but his posture showed injury. His heavy breathing indicated exhaustion.

His wild eyes reeked of desperation.

"I can't lose…" he muttered. "I won't lose. My goddess has commanded me, and I shall obey…"

Forcing himself back to his feet, Jaune saw how a few Blakes still remained. Like he'd once seen before with the hybrids, they stalked around their prey, surrounding Tyrian on all sides and presenting him with too many targets to choose from.

Jaune hovered in back behind them, waiting for an opening of his own.

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…" the psychopath muttered as he pointed out to each of the Blakes which surrounded him. "Which Blake is my real foe…"

Four Blakes converged on him at once. Jaune rushed in behind them.

The first swing took the head clean off of one of the shadows. A swinging tail punched through a second. All for naught, as the true Blake once more slashed at him with her tentacles, earning a howl of pain from the faunus man. However without an army to take the hits for her the real Blake was dangerously exposed, and one of Tyrian's blades slashed through her chest, earning a cry of pain from the hybrid.

But in the process a true opening had finally presented itself for Jaune, and with a glowing white fist he struck with all his might against the man who'd come to take his friend back to Salem's realm.

A sickening crack filled the air as Jaune's fist connected with the back of Tyrian's head, and the man stumbled forward a couple steps as a glimmer of dull purple light crackled over his body. The man turned with blinding speed, and with crazed eyes leapt at the larger boy.

Tyrian all but landed on his chest, his boots striking Jaune in the stomach and slamming him into the wall once more. A pair of hands found their place on Jaune's throat where they began to squeeze the life from the boy.

"You… I gave you so many chances…" Tyrian breathed desperately. "You are so blessed by our goddess and yet you persist. You ruin everything you touch!"

Jaune's hands pried and clawed at Tyrian's own, but even with his enhanced strength he found himself unable to dislodge the choking fingers. Jaune gasped and grunted as slowly but surely Tyrian denied his brain of the oxygen it needed.

"Sleep, little boy…" Tyrian whispered. "Sleep…"

Jaune could barely move as he stared into the crazed eyes of his murderer. If only he had a weapon. If only he'd been prepared. If only…

Blood splattered on Jaune's face when the tentacle pieced through Tyrian's throat.

Yellow eyes went as wide as the man's mouth, and his hands dropped from Jaune's throat.

The tentacle slid back out through the back of Tyrian's neck, leaving him the one desperately choking for air. Gurgling blood. Mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

Tyrian clawed at his throat, trying in vain to stem the bleeding. He could not. All he could do was clutch his ruined neck as blood poured from between his fingers.

There would be no cries of pain. No screams. No pleas for help. As Jaune watched the man collapse down onto his knees, he knew he could not help either. It wasn't out of the inability to do so, it was necessity. Though it ate at him to even contemplate, Tyrian was far too dangerous to save. Far too dangerous to be left alive to ever come after them again.

Or another poor, innocent person.

Wordless choking was the only noise he could make as he sank to his knees. Yellow eyes stared up at Jaune not with desperation or pleading, but rather disbelief and hate. Hate toward the boy who had sullied his goddess' children. Hate for the boy who had foiled his plans.

Hate for the boy who had prevented him from fulfilling his goddess' wishes.

Collapsing over onto his side, Tyrian quickly bled out, Blake's barbed tentacle tearing out most of his throat once she'd removed it from his flesh. Jaune could only watch in disbelief and horror as an evil man, but a man nonetheless, lost his life before his very eyes.

He couldn't linger for long, for as quickly as Tyrian died, Blake leapt at the last of her prey.

With only a single shadow clone remaining, Jaune knew which was the real Blake. Follow the bloodshed and misery, as she had once told him. The real Blake's black tentacle with slick with the red blood of the man she'd just killed.

Slamming against him, Jaune and Blake both collapsed onto the ground, rolling around in a struggle for dominance in the filthy alley. Barbed tentacles lashed at him like scourges while Jaune's arms wrapped tightly around her back. All he could do was try to restrain her while he attempted to bring her back.

"Blake…" he struggled through his gritted teeth. "Blake you have to stop…"

The hybrid thrashed even in his firm embrace, flipping him over so that Jaune was on his back. Where tentacles couldn't reach, jagged teeth attempted to bite his nose off.

"Blake! I love you!"

A wet, guttural growl echoed in the back of her throat.

"Blake! It's Jaune! It's… your darling!"

Snapping teeth continued to threaten the integrity of his face. In his panic and desperation Jaune tried to remember how Ruby had gotten through to Yang. Then again Yang hadn't been nearly as unstable as Blake. Blake was always the worst of all the hybrids when it came to her mental stability…

There was only one thing left he could try.

Jaune's head lashed up, and his forehead connected with her nose. Blake howled in pain as her own head snapped back.

With his arms tightly around her back, Jaune flipped her over so now that he was on top.

Blake continued to struggle, and Jaune's hands moved to grab hold of her flailing tentacles. With nothing available but his head now, he brought it crashing back down onto Blake's face. He had to subdue her. Somehow. He just needed an opening.

As her lips twisted in pain and her teeth snapped angrily, Jaune did the only thing he could think of.

His own lips came down on Blake's cheek, and kissed her.

Her body thrashed underneath his, and never in Jaune's wildest dreams would he have imagined kissing a girl that he'd pinned down underneath him in an alley. Yet context was everything, right now he knew it was the only chance he had to bring the mad hybrid back to her senses.

She needed love. She needed care. Compassion. Warmth. Safety.

She needed him.

"I love you, Blake," he whispered desperately as he kissed her cheek again. "I love you." He recalled Ruby's own words to Yang when she'd saved her older sister from herself. "I love you. I love you Blake. My darling. My darling Blake."

Using her own words over and over again, Jaune kissed Blake repeatedly. Her struggles were weakening. Her snarls softening. Her tentacles calming.

He kissed her again. "Come back to me, Blake," he said soothingly. "Come back to me, darling. I love you."

Her glowing red eyes focused on him and him alone now. Staring into his own soft blue ones. She seemed to be able to comprehend his words. She understood their meaning.

He had to keep pushing.

Willing all his Aura to strengthen one very specific part of him, he really hope that he wasn't about to get his tongue bitten off. "I love you, Blake."

Bringing his lips crashing down onto hers, Jaune forced his tongue past them and entered her mouth. He kissed her with as much passion and vigor as he'd ever done with Ruby and Weiss. He breathed heavily into her mouth as he felt every inch of her long, hybrid tongue. Every sharp edge of her deadly teeth. He gave Blake everything he had to offer. Every bit of him she'd ever wanted. Every taste of him she'd ever craved.

Until rather than struggling in his embrace, she let herself melt under him. She allowed her mouth to be ravaged by his. Her tongue swirled back around his own.

Her frantic breathing slowed and deepened. Tentacles went lax on the ground, and long pale legs wrapped around his waist. She moaned into his mouth.

Months ago Jaune never could have imagined he'd be making out with a girl in an abandoned alley next to a dead body. Yet with Blake it seemed fitting.

After long seconds Jaune came up for air. When he did so her teeth remained claimed on his lower lip, and only after a brief struggle did he finally free himself.

What he saw was a sight for sore eyes. Gone was the pallid skin and glowing red eyes. In their place was a pale but darker natural tone of flesh. Golden eyes brimmed with tears as they stared up at him.

Jaune peered down hopefully at the hybrid beneath him. "Blake?"

"Did your lips taste the kiss of death…" she whispered.

She was shaking. Her own lips quivered. Her chest heaved with quick and heavy breaths.

"Blake…"

With a single cry of anguish, Blake wept. In an instant Jaune came up to his knees, pulling her up with him, and clutched her body close to his own.

He buried her face into his chest where she cried. With arms tightly around her back he hugged her desperately. Her own arms, true human arms, came around his to do the same.

"It's okay," he whispered soothingly into her ear. One of his hands rubbed her back as he cradled her against him. The other stroked her long black hair. "It's okay. It's gonna be okay."

"I'm so sorry," her muffled words spoke into his chest. "I'm so sorry…"

"Shh, it's okay. I'm fine. You're fine. Everything's fine."

"So sorry… Adam… I'm so sorry…"

It didn't even matter to Jaune that she had invoked the name of another man while he held her. Right now was Blake's time. It was Blake's moment. It was Blake's road to recovery.

He would be there for her every step of the way. They all would. Blake wasn't alone anymore. She had a family. One that loved her. Just like the rest of the hybrids.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I've both been looking forward to and dreading this chapter for a long time. Anticipation because it's a major Blake moment and turning point for her character, as well a big thing with Tyrian. And dread because my partner who writes all the fight scenes here is currently indisposed, and I had to do it on my own. I hate doing fight scenes, and I feel I'm awful at them. So hopefully it turned out okay.

One of my favorite little things I've learned about Blake is that she can just insert song lyrics into conversation and it sounds normal and natural coming from her. In this chapter, lyrics from Ghost Love Score and Kiss of Death were used. Two beautiful songs which I love.

As always thank you for reading. If you're so inclined, I've published a few other things since I last updated this story. So if you're interested in some good old crack fics, rare pairs, or Lancaster goodness, go check out my profile!


End file.
